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In Spirit, in Purpose 
And in Action 



THE STORY 



OF THE 



MASSACHUSETTS COMMITTEE 
ON PUBLIC SAFETY 



February 10. 1 9 1 7 — November 21, 1918 



By 

GEORGE HINCKLEY LYMAN 



ADVERSIS MAJOR PAR SECUNDIS 







^%^' 



COPYRIGHTED BY GEORGE HINCKLEY LYMAN 

FOR 

MASSACHUSETTS COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY 



NOV I3i9)9 



BOSTON 

WRIGHT 8l POTTER PRINTING CO.. STATE PRINTERS 

32 DERNE STREET 

igig 



)CI.A536554 



PREFACE 



The accompanying synopsis of the part taken in the 
Great War by the Massachusetts Committee on Public 
Safety, written at the request of His Excellency Governor 
McCall and members of the Executive Committee, aims 
merely to present a general chronicle of its activities and the 
relation of its undertaking to the State and to the people. 

With the very large number of subjects involved, to 
attempt a full and elaborated account of its work would not 
only fill volumes, but be quite sure to exhaust the patience 
of the reader. Nor could any single person, however well 
equipped with a general knowledge of what the Committee 
brought about, adequately portray the ideals and accom- 
plishments of those sub-committees of which he was not 
himself a directing influence, and give proper credit to their 
individual members. Accordingly, it has been attempted to 
present a resume of the conditions obtaining at the time the 
Committee came into being, and which made the demand 
for its formation, together with a general outline of the work 
done. It has also been found necessary, especially in treat- 
ing of the larger functions of the Committee, to append 
certain tabulations rather than to include them in the body 
of the text. The chairmen of the sub-committees undertook 
to be responsible for results, and both chairmen and per- 
sonnel are entitled to full praise for the successful outcome 
of. their Committee's work; yet the amount of credit due to 
any one committee has in most cases to be gathered from 
its own records as the chief dependable statement of its 
contributions to the general result. The privilege has, there- 
fore, been assumed, without acknowledgment to the original 
sources, of borrowing the ideas and even the wording as 
contained in reports submitted by chairmen of sub-com- 



mittees. The same is true as regards the press and other 
outside agencies, thus making this story to a certain degree 
composite in its relation. 

To present a mere stilted record of the activities of the 
Committee on Public Safety would strangle all imagination. 
Likewise any effort accurately to portray so vital a part of 
the Commonwealth's history during those wonderful, stir- 
ring times would be adjudged unseasonable. Nor is a 
literary effort asked for or warranted. It is, therefore, 
assumed that a simple, unvarnished tale as gathered from 
reports and the personal observation of those intimately 
associated with the work will best meet every requirement. 

GEORGE HINCKLEY LYMAN. 

July, 1919. 



CONTENTS 



Part I page 

Chapter I. — General Conditions, 1 

Chapter II. — Organization of Provisional and Executive Commit- 
tees, 6 

Chapter III. — Anticipating War, 11 

State Organization and Preparatory Committees: 

Committee on Finance, 14 

Committee on Co-ordination of Aid Societies, .... 16 

Committee on Industrial Survey, 18 

Committee on Transportation, 19 

Committee on Federal and State Legislation, . . . .21 

Committee on Mobilization and Concentration Camps, . 24 

Committee on Horses, 25 

Committee on Trucks and Motor Cars, 25 

Committee on Publicity, 26 

Chapter IV. — Local Defense, 28 

Committee on Land Forces, 28 

Committee on State Protection, 29 

State Guard, 33 

Committee on Naval Forces, 36 

Chapter V. — Local Defense (continued), 40 

Committee on Military Equipment and Supplies, ... 43 

Relations with Washington on Equipment, 47 

Committee on Emergency Help and Equipment, ... 49 

Committee on Recruiting, 52 

Chapter VI. — Committee on Prevention of Social Evils surround- 
ing Military Camps, 62 

Chapter VII. — Intelligence Work; German Propaganda in Re- 
ligious Organizations, 80 

Chapter VIII. — Special Committee Work, 83 

Military Organization Schools, 83 

Liberty Bonds, 83 

Volunteer Dental Committee, 84 

Chiropodist Preparedness Committee, 85 

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Unit, 87 



Chapter VIII — Concluded. 
Radio School, 



Speakers' Bureau, 

Four-minute Men, 

Chapter IX. — Organization and Employees, 
Office Rooms, 



90 
91 
92 
95 



Part II 

Labor Controversies and Arbitrations, 97 

Specific Arbitrations and Settlements : 

I. Gloucester Fishermen, 101 

II. Market-garden Teamsters, 102 

III. Dock Freight Handlers connected with Locals 809 

and 822 of the International Longshoremen's Asso- 
ciation, 104 

IV. Boston & Maine Machinists, 107 

V. Fore River Machinists, Reamers and Bolters, .110 

VI. Lynn Shoe Controversy, 113 

VII. Boston Elevated Carmen, 121 

VIII. Street Railways operated in Worcester, Springfield, 

Attleboro and Surrounding Towns, . . . .125 

IX. Telephone Operators outside Metropolitan Boston, . 128 

X. Coal Teamsters of Boston and Vicinity, . . 131 

XL Lowell Textile Mills, 132 

XII. American Woolen Company Mills, 134 

Part III 

Miscellaneous Activities, 140 

Chapter I. — Committee on the Solicitation of Funds for Patriotic 

Purposes, 143 

Chapter II. — Committee on New England Sawmill Units, . .156 
Chapter HI. — Committee on Mobilization of School Boys for 

Farm Service, 1G6 

Chapter IV. — Committee on War Efficiency, 183 

Chapter V. — Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee, . . .189 
Chapter VI. 

Committee on Commonwealth MUitary Emergency Hospital, . 213 
Committee on Training and Instruction of Disabled Soldiers 

and Sailors, 216 

Committee on Higliways Transport — Council of National 

Defense, 218 

Chapter VII. 

Committee on Americanization, 220 

Committee on Landlord and Tenant — War Profiteering, . . 222 



Chapter VII — Concluded. page 

Committee on Commercial Economy, . . . . . . 228 

Committee on Non-War Construction, 231 

Chapter VIII. — Influenza Epidemic of the Autumn of 1918. Emer- 
gency Health Committee, 234 

Part IV 

Women's Activities, 256 

Chapter I. — Massachusetts Division, Woman's Council of Na- 
tional Defense, 258 

Chapter II. — Committee on Child Welfare, Woman's Council of 

National Defense, 262 

Chapter III. — Committee on Women in Agriculture, . . 274 

Chapter IV. — Committee on Health and Recreation, . . . 278 
Chapter V. — Committee for the Maintenance of Existing Social 

Agencies, 280 

Chapter VI. — The Army and Navy Yarn Shop Committee, . . 287 

Chapter VII. — Committee on Education, 290 

Chapter VIII. — Committee on Women in Industry, . . 294 

Chapter IX. — Committee on Publicity, 301 

Part V 

Massachusetts Food Administration, 306 

Chapter I. — Personnel and Introduction, 306, 307 

Chapter II. — Finances and Organization, 316 

(a) Finances, 316 

(b) County Food Administration Division, 317 

(c) Zone No. 1 Organization, 321 

Chapter III. — Production, 324 

(a) Committee on Food Production, 324 

(6) Direct Buying and Community Markets, .... 355 

Chapter IV. — Conservation and Publicity, 362 

(a) Home Economics, 362 

(b) Canning without Sugar, 370 

(c) The Food Administration Home Card, 1917-18, . . .371 

(d) No White Bread Week, 376 

(e) Garbage Committee, 377 

(/) State Merchant Representative, 380 

(g) Food Administration Bulletin, 383 

(h) Literature Division, 384 

(i) Fair Exhibits, 1918, 384 

Chapter V. — Regulation of Food Trades 386 

(a) License Division, 386 

(fe) Division of Enforcement, 397 



Chapter V — Concluded. page 

(c) Cold Storage and Flour Stock, 402 

(d) Price Division, 403 

Chapter \T!. — Public Eating Places and Bakers, .... 405 

(a) Hotels and Restaurants, 405 

(6) Baking Div^ision, 411 

Chapter VII. — Food Commodities, 415 

(a) Cereal Division, 415 

(b) Grain and Feed Division, 428 

(c) Potato Committee, 433 

(d) Federal Milk Commission for New England, . . . 434 

(e) Campaign for Wider Use of Dairy Products, . . .441 

(/) Committee on Fish, 441 

(g) Poultry and Eggs, 449 

(h) Sugar Division, 452 

(i) Committee on Ice, 457 

(j) The Banana Episode, 462 

Chapter VIII. — Transportation and Adjustment Division, . 464 

Chapter IX. — Fuel Supply for Food Industries, .... 467 

Part VI 

Fuel Administration, 468 

New England Coal Committee, 468 

Causes of Coal Shortage in New England, 469 

Organization of New England Coal Committee, .... 472 

Organization of the New England Fuel Administration, . . 478 

Bituminous Shortage during Winter of 1917-18, .... 482 

Distribution of Soft Coal by New England Fuel Administration, 491 

Improvement in Bituminous Situation 495 

The Anthracite Shortage, 498 

Part VII 

Treasurer's Report, 507 

Dissolution of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safetv, . 529 



APPENDICES 



PAGE 

Executive Committee of Massachusetts Committee on Public 

Safety and Sub-Committees, 537 

Chairmen of Public Safety Committees in Cities and Towns in 

Massachusetts, 542 

New England Sawmill Units, 550 

Recreational Equipment and Library Privilege, 55^ 

Massachusetts Halifax Health Commission — Act creating. . . 554 
Chairmen of Woman's Committees, Council of National Defense, 

in Cities and Towns in Massachusetts, 557 

Prices fixed by the Federal MUk Commission for New England, 567 

Food Committees, 568 

Town and City Food Administrators, . . • 572 

Calendar, Home Economics Committee, March, 1917, to November, 

1918, 580 

Circular issued by the New England Coal Committee, .... 582 

Organization of Federal Fuel Administration for New England, . 587 

Chairmen of Fuel Committees in Cities and Towns in Massachusetts, 592 



I LLUSTRATIONS 



Frontispiece, 

Interior of Radio School, 

Some of the Lumbermen, . 

Sawing Lumber, . 

Bunk House, 

At Scituate, .... 

At Feeding Hills, Springfield; 

At Marblehead, . 

At Hudson, .... 

Certificate of Honorable Discharge, for School Boa's on 
Farms, .... 

Boys' Camp, Stockbridge, . 

Halifax, N. S. — Governor McCall Apartments. Largest 
Apartment Houses in the World, sheltering 320 
Families, completed in SW Working Hours, . 

Halifax, N. S. — Ruins of the Sugar Refinery, a Ten- 
story Building, 

Halifax, N. S. — Shore immediately adjacent to the 
Scene of the Disaster. Steamboat thrown up on 
Top of the AMiarf at Extreme Right, 

Food Administration Demonstration Car, 

Quincy, Mass., Community Garden, 

Food Administration Cottage on Boston Common, 

Food Conservation Cottages on Boston Common, 



Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 



page 88 
page 158 
page 161 
page 161 
page 174 
page 174 
page 177 
page 177 



Facing page 178 
Facing page 178 



Facing page 196 
Facing page 200 



Facing page 204 
Facing page 304 
Facing page 356 
Facing page 367 
Facing page 369 



XI 



THE STORY 

OF 

THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMITTEE ON 
PUBLIC SAFETY 

February 10, 1917 November 20, 1918 



Part I 



CHAPTER I 
GENERAL CONDITIONS 

When on August 3, 1914, the Old World began the greatest 
conflict in the history of mankind, finally embracing nearly 
every nation and dependency from East to West, the average 
citizen of Massachusetts, many thousand miles distant from 
the seat of war, failed to connect the devastation raging so 
far away with any immediate or ultimate harm coming to 
his country, his State or himself. 

It was not so much optimism as a lack of appreciation 
that prompted this almost universal sense of security. Yet 
a very few, with a clearer and more prophetic understanding 
of the conditions that brought about the war, were con- 
stantly insistent that the United States would sooner or 
later inevitably be involved, and that it was incumbent on 
her people to make every preparation, take the initiative, 
and join the cause of the Allies. To them the danger was 
imminent, and the cause of freedom and humanity directly 
imperiled. They realized that the world was facing a mighty 
power, now fully arrived at an acme of leadership, organi- 
zation and armament, all servile to an irresponsible, ruthless 
oligarchy bent at any cost on the domination of the world; 



that"Kultur," so called, was a mockery, its very name mis- 
leading; while the most vicious and insidious propaganda 
was being ruthlessly directed against the integrity of our 
national life. 

The philosophy of this inertia on the part of a liberty- 
loving people — who for three years had witnessed humanity 
degraded, the rights of freedom trodden under foot, its 
country's flag insulted, and its citizens murdered on the 
high seas without a blow being struck in return — is more 
properly material for the psychologist. 

It was the conditions as they obtained, and not their 
cause, with which we had to reckon when our Republic 
finally declared war against Germany and joined the Allies, 
then sorely pressed, and who, though far from beaten, stood 
with their backs to the wall. 

A mighty problem confronted us. Our energies had been 
absorbed in the attainment of national prosperity. For 
years we had been negligent of every warning, and despite 
our opportunities and immeasurable resources had finally 
entered the greatest conflict in history totally deficient in 
armament, equipment or material; with an army small and 
scattered; a transportation service inexcusably faulty; and 
our suddenly awakened people dazed by the realization of 
its desperate unpreparedness. Across the seas a relentless 
foe met our challenge with open ridicule and contempt, 
boasting that the war would be over and the Teuton victo- 
rious long before the United States could marshal its armies 
on the field of battle. 

But they forgot our birthright, so nobly conceived in the 
love of liberty. They did not recall our infancy and its 
baptism of patriotic self-sacrifice. They failed to appreciate 
that the divine heritage bequeathed to us was not dead, Init 
remained a vital and controlling element in our character, 
and that we were still loyal to the ideals of our forefathers 
and the force of their great example. They did not know 
that beneath the surface lay the quickening, unconquerable 
soul of the American people. 



It was the recognition of this spirit, and the anticipation 
of the United States' immediate entry into the war, which 
prompted His Excellency Governor McCall, as spokesman 
for the people of Massachusetts, and at the immediate sug- 
gestion of Mr. James J. Storrow, and Mr. Charles F. Weed, 
President of the Chamber of Commerce, to name on Febru- 
ary 9, 1917, the following one hundred citizens, chosen from 
every section of the Commonwealth, as a Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safetv : — 



James J. Storrow, Chairman. 



Henry Abrahams. 
Charles H. Allen. 
Hon. Butler Ames. 
Charles S. Baxter. 
Frank P. Bennett. 
Col. Everett C. Benton. 
Charles S. Bird. 
Spencer Borden, Jr. 
Charles W. Bosworth. 
Roland W. Boyden. 
Dr. L. Vernon Briggs. 
George E. Brock. 
Dr. William A. Brooks. 
William M. Butler. 
Charles F. Choate, Jr. 
A. H. Christie. 
Charles H. Cole. 
Hon. Calvin Coolidge. 
Hon. Louis A. Coolidge. 
Hon. Channing H. Cox. 
Hon. W. Murray Crane. 
Henry H. Crapo. 
Alvah T. Crocker. 
John W. Cummings. 
Hon. James M. Curley. 
Hon. Edwin U. Curtis. 
Hon. Grafton D. Cushing. 
Harvey Cushing. 
Henry S. Dennison. 
George A. Draper. 
Albert Greene Duncan. 



Arthur W. Eaton. 
John W. Farley. 
Walter C. Fish. 
Hon. John F. Fitzgerald. 
Archie N. Frost. 
Louis A. Frothingham. 
Harry W. Garfield. 
William A. Gaston. 
Edward W. Glines. 
Levi H. Greenwood. 
Edwin Farnham Greene. 
Walton A. Greene. 
Edwin A. Grozier. 
John W. Haigis. 
Matthew Hale. 
Charles H. Hayden. 
Robert F. Herrick. 
Henry L. Higginson. 
Richard C. Hooker. 
James H. Hustis. 
George N. Jeppson. 
J. Lovell Johnson. 
Benjamin Joy. 
Eben S. S. Keith. 
Louis E. Kirstein. 
George E. Kunhardt. 
Louis K. Liggett. 
Edmund W. Longley. 
A. Lawrence Lowell. 
Frank J. Ludwig. 
Hon. George H. Lyman. 



Richard C. Maclaurin. 
Frederick W. Mansfield. 
Robert E. Harden. 
Frederic C. McDuffie. 
J. Franklin McElwain. 
Grenville S. McFarland. 
Alexander Meiklejohn. 
Guy Murchie. 
Robert L. O'Brien. 
Joseph H. O'Neil. 
Eugene W. Ong. 
James J. Phelan. 
William B. Plunkett. 
J. W. Powell. 
Oliver Prescott. 
Frederick H. Prince. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
Russell Robb. 
Bernard J. Rothwell. 



John L. Saltonstall. 
Edward F. Searles. 
Joseph A. Skinner. 
Frederic S. Snyder. 
Philip L. Spalding. 
Godfrey de la Tannancour. 
Charles H. Taylor. 
Thomas W. Thatcher. 
Hon. David I. Walsh. 
Charles G. Washburn. 
Charles F. Weed. 
Henry G. Wells. 
George R. White. 
E. Marston Wliitin. 
Sherman L. WHiipple. 
James T. Williams, Jr. 
Butler R. Wilson. 
Daniel G. Wing. 
Robert Winsor. 



Subsequently the Governor added the following names : 



W. A. L. Bazeley. 
Edmund Billings. 
H. F. Brock. 
Charles C. Doten. 
Mark Temple Dowling. 
Henry B. Endicott. 
William F. Fitzgerald. 
Alvan T. Fuller. 
John L. Hall. 
Ira N. HoUis. 
Stillman F. Kelley. 



Arthur A. Kidder. 

Walter L. McMenimen. 

George von L. Meyer. 

Charles A. Pastene. 

Gardner W. Pearson {ex officio). 

Robert L. Raymond. 

Milton F. Reed. 

Simon Vorenberg. 

Frank W. Whitcher. 

Roger Wolcott. 



Massachusetts had ever been a practical State. Her 
industries and institutions were her life. At the same time, 
she never abandoned her ideals, which at once quickened 
with threatened danger. She now recognized what was 
expected of her, and that it was a people's war, at home as 
well as in the field, and in the cause of Liberty. Of the 
Committee so appointed more than one-half became person- 
ally active in its labors, with very few holidays to break the 



strain during the twenty-one months their services were 
called for. 

The Governor's selection was made without regard to 
creed, political affiliation, social or racial distinction. With 
a single aim, Republican and Democrat, Gentile and Jew, 
Catholic and Protestant toiled shoulder to shoulder, — 
their strength in unity. Their example was closely followed 
by many hundreds eventually enrolled in different branches 
of the work. Distinguished scholars, college presidents, 
clergymen, philanthropists, professors, doctors, lawyers, 
business men and labor leaders met in daily conclave. 
Women and men, the elder and the younger, all volunteers 
in a great cause, toiled patriotically, cheerfully, and in per- 
fect harmony during the long summer heat and the cold 
winters that they might do their share in going over the 
home top. 



CHAPTER II 

ORGANIZATION OF PROVISIONAL AND EXECUTIVE 
COMMITTEES 

A Provisional Executive Committee of seven, appointed 
by His Excellency to act until such time as the whole Com- 
mittee could be brought together, met the next day, Feb- 
ruary 10, 1917, at the Governor's office to discuss and lay 
plans for the complete co-ordination of the resources of the 
State. The Governor advised in substance that the purpose 
of the Committee was to consider the problems growing out 
of our international relations, in order that the Common- 
wealth might have the benefit of its advice and action; that 
he believed our citizens ready to respond in the emergency 
that presented itself; and that his choice of names had been 
solely influenced by his determination to have all the dif- 
ferent elements of our citizenship represented, and thus the 
opinion of the Commonwealth as a whole obtained. 

Meetings of the Provisional Committee were held regu- 
larly every day for five days thereafter, the sessions extend- 
ing sometimes well into the night. During this period the 
contemplated scope of the Committee's work was outlined 
as far as at that time possible; the formation of sub-com- 
mittees was suggested and approved, and reports of condi- 
tions here and abroad were gathered from a vast number 
of agencies, all with a view to the complete co-ordination 
of the resources of the Commonwealth and the fullest co- 
operation with sister States and the national government. 

On February 14, 1917, the first meeting of the Committee 
of One Hundred was called together by the Governor in the 
East Wing Connuittee Room at the State House, where His 
Excellency, on bringing the meeting to order, addressed 
them in part as follows: — 

My difficulty in selecting this Committee was rather one of exclusion 
than of selection, because in considering the make-up of sucli a citizens 





committee in the Commonwealth one finds a splendid wealth of material. 
^Vllat I tried to do was to get one hundred of the best men in the State, 
with a special idea of their fitness for the work, and representative as a 
body of the different interests, the different lines of industry, and the 
different elements of our citizenship, so that it would stand as repre- 
sentative of the whole Commonwealth. 

I had an idea that it was well to have a committee of this character 
consider those problems that grow out of our present delicate interna- 
tional relations, and give to the Commonwealth, and through it to the 
country, the benefit of its advice, and, if necessary, of its action. I did 
not appoint the Committee with the idea that war was probable. I am 
expressing no opinion upon that point. But I think we will all agree 
that war is at least possible; and as it is possible it behooves us to do 
what we can to get the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where it may, 
as it alwa^'s has in time of national crises, respond very quickly to any 
call from the Nation. But whatever our faults of preparation may be, 
the American people has such a comprehensive genius, such a facility of 
invention, that there is no nation in the world that can take liberties 
with it or that can provoke it, at any rate, without considering the con- 
sequences. We have not been permitted to grow up a big and great 
nation simply because of the toleration of other powers; but we have 
the elements in ourselves, in our government, that will make us a for- 
midable foe to anj^ other nation in the world before we finally get through 
a war, and I believe the other nations all recognize it. 

Gentlemen, we are not trying to get in advance of the men who are 
controlling the administration of our national government. I believe 
those men are actuated only by patriotic motives. I believe they 
thoroughly understand the situation, and I believe when the test shall 
come it will be found that they have made preparations and have taken 
thought of things of which most of us did not happen to have any 
knowledge. It is my idea that we should support the administration. 

At the conclusion of the Governor's address the Com- 
mittee proceeded to form its permanent organization, the 
officers elected within the immediately succeeding days, 
together with the Executive Committee, being — 

James J. Storrow, Chairman. 
C. F. Weed, V ice-Chairman. 
Guy Murchie, Secretary. 
Edmund W. Longley, Treasurer. 



Henry B. Endicott. 
Walton A. Green. 
Benjamin Joy. 



James J. Phelan. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
Adj. -Gen. Pearson {e.v officio). 



Substantial powers were at the same time given to the 
Executive Committee to appoint sub-committees, officers 
and agents, to fill vacancies and to add to their o^ti number 
as might from time to time seem to them desirable. 

On February 15, 1917, Mr. Henry B. Endicott was elected 
executive manager, an event the value of which, not only to 
the Committee itself but likewise to the broader and more 
comprehensive interests of the State and Nation, will be 
appreciated more and more as this story progresses. Only 
those who served under him, and particularly the fortunate 
few who for twenty-one months lived daih'^ in the atmosphere 
and partnership of the inner office, can justly estimate his 
ability, force and character, or realize the strength of his 
unselfish patriotism. 

Pursuant to the authority given, on March 15 Mr, John F. 
Stevens and Mr. Frank H. McCarthy, and on March 29 Mr. 
George H. Lyman and INIr, J. Frank O'Hare, the latter in 
place of Mr. McCarthy resigned, were elected members of the 
Executive Committee, and after a lapse of four months, 
from time to time, still further additions were made, as will 
appear later. 

It was — 

Resolved, That the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety pledges 
its loyal support to the State and national government in all measures for 
the defence of our country and the preservation of the right of its people 
on land and sea. 

From this time on the Executive Committee directed and 
controlled the entire work of the organization in all its 
branches, the only meetings thereafter of the Committee of 
One Hundred taking place on March 17, 1917, December 6, 
1917, and finally on November 20, 1918, at which time the 
organization was dissolved. 

The Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety was thus 
formally instituted, being the first organization of its kind 
established in the United States. Moreover, the model of 
its organization and the plan for its development were in a 



large measure followed in many parts of the country as well 
as by the Council of National Defense. Its primal and 
declared object — for we were not yet at war — was to 
secure protection from foreign aggression and insure against 
treachery and violence within the State. As a corollary 
thereof it was pledged to co-operate with the administra- 
tion at Washington in all matters relating to the public weal, 
so far as affected by the war cloud then enveloping Europe 
and threatening to burst upon our land at any moment. 

Nevertheless, Massachusetts was totally unprepared for 
any such emergency. She had no foundation on which 
to build except her own resources, courage and persistent 
energy. The same condition existed in every State of the 
Union. 

The last Congress, possibly lulled by a false sense of 
security, had declined by a considerable majority to make 
proper appropriations for national equipment or defence, 
thereby forgetting that "when a strong man armed keepeth 
his palace his goods are in peace." Many, though falsely, 
challenged its patriotism. The root of the difficulty was 
that the dormant soul of the American people required 
awakening. There were many striking exceptions, however, 
to this inertia on the part of men in public life, foremost 
among which was the example given by a Representative 
from Massachusetts, Maj. Augustus P. Gardner, who later 
resigned from Congress and forfeited his life in behalf of the 
principles for which he had contended. 

We were, therefore, left at a critical time in our history 
to cope as best we might with a gigantic military machine 
bred through two generations to a vicious lust for conquest, 
false to its word, brutal in its methods, and composed of 
veterans of more than two years' standing. It would be 
unfair to charge the truly critical position in which we found 
ourselves to any one political party. The trouble lay with 
the people as a whole, — with our antecedents covering a 
period of many years. Circumstances and longitude had 
made us a peaceful, commercial, yet in many respects an 



inconsequent people. What we most desired in our relations 
to other nations was to be let alone, — a vital background 
of the Monroe Doctrine. We were willing to let other 
nations settle their own particular difficulties. We were not 
out for glory, nor did we want anybody else's territory, 
while distance made us feel secure in our own possessions. 
In short, we did not realize how the world had changed. 

One might recall the poet's version of the time when, 
many years ago, French privateers appeared in the offing, 
threatening "to ravish with fire and steel our helpless Boston 
town," and how the parson stood with his congregation in 
the Old South Church — 

Saying humbly: Let us pray: 
Oh Lord, we would not advise, 

But if in Thy providence 
A tempest should arise, 

To drive the French fleet hence, 
And scatter it far and wide, 

Or sink it in the sea. 
We should be satisfied. 

And Thine the glory be. 

Such were the trying and uncertain conditions pervading 
State and Nation when the advent of spring, 1917, brought 
with it a declaration of war and the demand for a vast 
host of combatants, to be gathered from every State in 
the Union, who should defend our cause on land and sea; 
and for a still greater army to recruit the man power and 
preserve its efficiency in equii)ment, nuiterial and supplies. 
Our Nation, aroused from its apathy, began to systematize 
its vast resources of men, material and food with a patriotism 
which challenged all rivalry, and an ability which more and 
more won the admiration and astonishment of the world. 
It was at this juncture that the citizens of Massachusetts 
created the Committee on Public Safety, the keystone of 
an arch which was eventually to form a new memorial of 
Yankee pluck, patriotism and devotion to duty. 



10 



CHAPTER III 
ANTICIPATING WAR 

In the interim, covering about seven weeks, during which 
our participation in the war hung in the balance, the Com- 
mittee Laid the foundations of its work, and, despite every 
discouragement, entered upon a task unique in character 
exhaustless in opportunity, and testing everv patriotic im- 
pulse; yet splendid in the fruition and the final accomplish- 
ment of a great endeavor. 

The most pressing necessity demanding the attention of 
the Executive Committee was to perfect our local defence 
This was embraced under the following heads: the militia 
National Guard and State Guard and their equipment'; 
the medical preparation necessary to meet any emergency;' 
existing transportation facilities and the improvement 
thereof; the State Police; Home Guard; and the protection 
of munition plants, bridges, waterways and other danger 
points. On motion of Mr. Phelan the initial vote of the 
Provisional Committee, recorded on February 10, declared — 

That the Committee considers it its first duty to see that the existing 
official mihtary organizations of the State are fully equipped to the last 
detail for a possible call for service; to find out how they are now 
equipped on a peace basis, and how they should be equipped in the event 
of war. 

There was little doubt in any one's mind that we were 
really on the brink of war, and also that the Committee, 
although a voluntary association, virtually represented the 
State, was for the time being its right arm, and must act 
independently as well as in co-operation with the national 
government. 

At once, on passage of the foregoing resolution, personal 
representation was sent to Washington, and detailed informa- 
tion covering the general question of local defence was dili- 



11 



gently collected from every available source. Pending the 
result of these inquiries, the following Preparatory Com- 
mittees were appointed : — 



Finance. 

Co-ordination of Aid Societies. 

Industrial Survey. 

Transportation . 

Hygiene, Medicine and Sanitation. 

Federal and State Legislation. 

Food Production and Conservation. 



Publicity. 

Land Forces. 

State Protection. 

Naval Forces. 

Military Equipment and Supplies. 

Emergency Help and Equipment. 



Further, and to co-operate with the Committee on Land 
Forces, and in some respects with the Committee on Naval 
Forces, the following additional committees were ap- 
pointed: — 



Mobilization and Concentration 

Camps. 
Horses. 



Trucks and Motor Cars. 

Recruiting. 

Home Guards. 



The personnel of these Preparatory Committees was not 
confined to membership in the Committee of One Hundred, 
but included names added from time to time as the work 
progressed. (See Appendix, page 537 et seq.) 

It might be well to emphasize at this point how each of 
these Preparatory Committees was created, primarily to 
meet exigencies arising during the interval between peace 
and anticipated war. Although one or two of them were 
later discontinued, as overlapping or unnecessary to the 
general plan, the demands on others after the United States 
became an active belligerent often changed materially in 
character from their original purpose, or were absorbed in 
the broader activities and functions of the State or Nation. 
Nevertheless, as the result of their early painstaking and 
efficient labors a potent organization was gradually per- 
fected, its tentacles radiating from a common center into 
nearly every corner of the Commonwealth, and with each 
auxiliary ready and anxious at all times to help the Execu- 
tive Committee in working out the vexatious problems 



12 



rapidly accumulating. They also greatly assisted in con- 
cluding satisfactory and co-operating relations with the rest 
of New England and with sister States, and eventually with 
the Council of National Defense at Washington. Each 
unit, though formed on the same pattern, was independent 
in itself, working in conformity with the requirements of its 
local conditions, yet always within the scope of the general 
scheme. Together they constituted a powerful aggregate, 
striving in patriotic accord to do their full share towards the 
attainment of a single generic purpose. 

State Organization and Preparatory Committees 

It was evident that the assistance and co-operation of 
every city and town within the Commonwealth was impera- 
tively needed, and on March 21 the specific task of forming 
local committees on Public Safety was assigned to Mr. 
Ratshesky and Mr. Lyman. 

Out of a total number of 295 towns in the State, 251 
towns formed sub -committees under the general plan and in 
full co-operation with the aims of the Executive Committee. 
From 38 cities in the State, every city — with the sole 
exception of Springfield — answered to the call of the Mas- 
sachusetts Committee on Public Safety, or acted in full 
accord, sympathy and co-operation with its purposes and 
requests. 

Thus, before our entry into the war became a fact, a 
widespread and perfected working body of interested patri- 
otic citizens were banded together with the sole object of 
doing their utmost towards the winning of the war. 

The few towns that did not register as requested were so 
small in population that by mutual consent it was deemed 
inadvisable for them to form separate organizations; yet in 
many instances a scantily populated town combined its 
efforts with a neighboring town so as to be represented on 
the membership of the latter's Committee. On the basis of 
population, 95.8 per cent of the entire citizenship of the 

13 



State became formally represented as part of the ]\Iassa- 
chiisetts Committee on Public Safety, or working in full 
co-operation with its purposes. 

It will now be attempted to give the more specific reasons 
for which these Preparatory Committees were formed, with 
a somewhat detailed account of the activities in which each 
was engaged. An exception, however, will be made in the 
case of the Committee on Food Production and Conserva- 
tion, whose activities, July, 1917, were transferred to the 
Board of Food Administration authorized by both Federal 
and State authority, and whose work continued until the 
end of the war. This Preparatory Committee will there- 
fore, for the sake of continuity, be discussed later in Part 
V, together with the other projects of the Food Administra- 
tion. 

Committee on Finance 

A first and vital consideration involving the entire scope 
of the proposed work was the question of finance. No 
better proof of the temper, supreme confidence and patri- 
otism of our wealthier citizenship could have been offered 
tlian the successful results obtained by the Committee on 
Finance, who, within a few days, received subscriptions 
aggregating over $101,022.85, the expenditure of which was 
authorized to be used . as a special fund solely within the 
discretion of the Executive Committee, and independent of 
any outside approval. This amount constituted a revolv- 
ing fund, and was more than sufficient to meet every present 
demand. Many of the drafts originally made thereon were 
later charged to an appropriation of $1,000,000 allowed 
by the Legislature to defray war expenditures, and which 
was recognized as the main source from which the general 
expenses of the Committee on Public Safety were to be 
paid. These rebates, with the balance over, left the special 
fund sufficiently ample to provide for all such future pay- 
ments as might not properly come within the terms of the 

14 



State's gift. Thus all anxiety in regard to financing the 
Committee on Public Safety was at once removed. 

On March 19, 1917, in less than two hours after receiving a 
message from Governor McCall, the Legislature by special 
act, chapter 202, made the appropriation of $1,000,000 
above referred to, to be paid out of the treasury of the Com- 
monwealth from the general revenue; and to be expended 
under the direction of the Governor as Commander-in- 
Chief, subject to the approval of the Council, "in defraying 
the military, naval and other expenses w^hich the emer- 
gency arising out of existing conditions, and the exigencies 
of possible war, might in his judgment render requisite and 
proper." The act was construed to include the general 
requii-ements of the Committee on Public Safety, and from 
this appropriation the allowed expenditures of the Com- 
mittee were paid and charged to the general revenue. 

Again, on May 25, 1917, under the provisions of chapter 
324, the United States having in the meantime declared 
war with Germany, a further appropriation of $1,000,000 
was made to cover any emergency which might arise during 
the recess of the General Court by reason of the then exist- 
ing state of war. This was to be bonded for a term not 
exceeding ten years, and to be used only in case the million 
dollars taken from the general revenue became exhausted. 
No bonds were issued, however, under this act, although a 
note was given for $97,000, the money to be used for require- 
ments of the State Guard. This was later repaid out of the 
general funds of the Commonwealth. 

In 1918 the money thus appropriated for use during the 
year 1917, under chapter 202, was recognized by the Audi- 
tor's office as being still available for the Committee on 
Public Safety, notwithstanding the absence of any special 
provision in the act for extension of time. What really 
happened was that the expenditures made in 1917 were 
chiefly for the needs of our military and naval forces in the 
way of equipment, the major part of which outlay — as 
will be seen in the discussion of Equipment and Supplies, 

15 



Chapter VI — was later paid by the United States govern- 
ment, leaving the bulk of the one million dollar appropria- 
tion of March 19, 1917, still available for use in 1918. 

Committee on Co-ordination of Aid Societies 

The purpose of this Committee was to amalgamate all 
societies of similar character throughout the State, to the 
end that the sum total of their combined efforts should 
constitute one well-balanced and productive whole, without 
either duplication or overlapping. 

The origin of the Committee on Public Safety was the 
visible sign of a patriotic desire on the part of the men of 
Massachusetts to meet the necessities of a situation fraught 
with perils and with opportunity. The same incentive ob- 
tained equally among the women of the State, who from the 
first wished to do their full share, and whose organizations 
commenced work, or strengthened that in which they were 
already engaged, to meet war needs. It became at once 
evident that to secure effective results this work should be 
interrelated, co-operative and thoroughly organized, and to 
attain that end the above Committee was appointed. 

The heads of the various women's organizations were 
therefore immediately called in conference, where two facts 
became apparent. Every woman was more than anxious to 
work for a common result, and to have her organization 
take such part as would best help to bring about this pur- 
pose. At the same time, it was apparent that the problem 
of organization involved was an unusual one. The national 
government had not yet acted in any comprehensive way, 
nor was it at all certain what form its activities would take. 

Several organizations of a nation-wide scope desired to 
extend their spheres of influence into Massachusetts; new 
organizations were being formed inside the State, with 
branches in many towns and cities; and those already in 
the State, at first local, were continuously forming new 
branches, some of which were made up exclusively of women, 
while others included both men and women. In this some- 

16 



what mixed situation the more pertinent questions resolved 
themselves as follows: — 

How should activities entering the State from without be 
related to those within? 

Should the State organization proceed on the theory that 
the best interests of the larger agencies, such as the Red 
Cross, the Special Aid Society, the Civic Federation, Fed- 
erated Women's Clubs and others, demanded a central 
bureau for each, with its organization lines running to all 
the cities and towns, and acting independently in those 
cities and towns; or should there be a centralized bureau 
containing representatives of the major activities, which 
should endeavor to group each city and town, and thus 
secure harmonious action? Also w^as it best that the work 
of the women and that of the men should go on together, or 
ought a sharp and separating line be drawn between them? 

A number of conferences were held and many views were 
expressed, the conclusions finally reached being that the 
work of the men and the women was of like importance, 
though different in kind, and that a full and equal partner- 
ship basis would give the best results. 

It was further determined that the only authority which 
could be recognized as superior to that of the State was 
the United States government; that in every way the 
women's organizations should co-operate with the govern- 
ment to the extent of their ability; and in case of any 
civilian activities coming from outside the State, these must 
abide by the general policy of the United Aid Societies of 
Massachusetts. 

It was also decided that there should be a central con- 
ference, consisting of representatives from all the women's 
organizations, which should make every effort to group in 
each city and town the local chapters of these organiza- 
tions, and to secure harmony if any friction existed. 

These simple principles of organization, animated through- 
out by a spirit of the finest patriotism, soon brought har- 
jnony and effective results. 

17 



Another and special effort made from the very first was 
to form an organization which sliould be ready and able to 
fit as far as possible into that eventually decided on by the 
national government. 

The Red Cross took a very prominent and useful part in 
the whole scheme of organizing aid societies, as did the 
Special Aid Society. Though many more might be men- 
tioned, especial reference is made to these two because the 
first had a nation-wide, and the second a valuable though 
local, existence. It is equally to the credit of both these 
organizations that the Red Cross, having the wider scope, 
was allowed to act as a clearing house for information in 
greater Boston, a plan which was carried through without 
any friction whatever. Notwithstanding that there were 
many problems in the general scheme requiring adjustment, 
no serious difficulties developed. 

The Committee on Co-ordination of Aid Societies had a 
work to do which, though entirely preparatory, was essen- 
tial; but it nevei* became burdensome because of the splen- 
did patriotism evidenced by Massachusetts women. The 
principle of working with the women as equal partners was 
fully maintained in every activity of the Committee on 
Public Safety and that of the Food Administration, and 
endured until the war ended. Certainly the results proved 
its wisdom. 

Mr. B. Preston Clark, chairman of this Committee, con- 
tinued from the first to be its directing influence, giving 
unstintedly of his time and effort in guiding the co-ordinate 
and partnership work of the women's and men's activities 
in their relations to the Committee on Public Safety and to 
the Food Administration. 

Committee on Industrial Survey 

It was at first intended to have this Committee make a 
survey of the manufacturing facilities of the State, and its 
work began on that line. Thereafter it became apparent 
that any demand likely to be made on these utilities would 

18 



naturally come from the Federal authorities, and not from 
the State. For this reason, and because by that time the 
Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense 
— a Federal function, established shortly after the organ- 
ization of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety — 
had for some months been making an industrial survey of 
the whole country, it was deemed advisable to abandon the 
original scheme and work with the National Connnission 
when so requested, and under its general direction. The 
Committee found that about 2,400 Massachusetts manu- 
facturing concerns were already listed by the Washington 
Commission; that the majority of them had filed complete 
returns; and that the others had been turned over to Mr. 
C. L. Edgar, who was taking care of the industrial survey 
work in Massachusetts in behalf of the Naval Consulting 
Board and the Council of National Defense. Meetings 
were held with the Washington Commission looking to a 
survey of Massachusetts plants capable of filling experi- 
mental orders for ammunition. But when it transpired 
that the Ordnance Department did not possess adequate 
specifications and drawings, and also that if any such orders 
should be placed it was more than likely they would be 
given to plants in inland States, the subject w^as dropped, 
except that recommendations based on investigations al- 
ready made by the Committee on Industrial Survey were 
forwarded to the Commission in Washington. Conferences 
were likewise held with local Ordnance Department officials, 
to the end that they might be fully acquainted with the 
facilities existing in Massachusetts. The Committee, there- 
fore, having outlived the purpose for which it was created, 
discontinued further work. 

Committee on Transportation 

The Transportation Committee's particular function was 
to arrange for the rapid, unimpeded transportation of 
troops when summoned in case of riot or other emergency; 
to protect critical points throughout the State, such as 

19 



power houses, sources of power, bridges, munitions, water- 
supply plants, conduits, etc. ; or to meet any danger threat- 
ening the public safety and demanding the presence of 
armed forces. 

A card index list was made by the Committee and sub- 
mitted to the chairman of the Committee on State Protec- 
tion, together with the best information obtainable as to 
the particular street railway officials to be notified in case 
of a given emergency. The Committee also prepared a 
topographical drawing giving the electric lines in the State 
with their relation to armories, manufacturing industries, 
connections between steam and electric railways, docks, 
power sources, spur tracks, etc. This map also showed all 
emergency connections between steam and electric railways, 
and between these and such manufacturing and industrial 
plants as would best facilitate the movement of troops and 
material. A significant fact shown by this drawing was 
that a physical connection could be made between the 
Springfield Street Railway and the Berkshire Street Rail- 
way at Huntington, Mass., thereby furnishing a through 
electric route from western to eastern Massachusetts. An 
inventory was prepared giving accurately the location of all 
materials, such as rails, copper, ties, spikes, etc., that they 
might be quickly requisitioned; and still another compiled 
of all passenger, freight and material cars. A pocket map 
showing the different street railway lines was made ready 
for the use of government officials in charge of routing ma- 
terial. It was in accordance with the recommendations of 
this Committee that manufacturing concerns readjusted 
their opening and closing hours so as best to spread the 
traffic handled by the street railways, and that steps were 
taken, in the event of a military draft, to have employees 
of important transportation and manufactiu'ing industries 
exempted from military service. Legislation was also 
urged, the eflFect of which would be to w^aive some of the 
hide-bound restrictions binding the street railways in time 
of peace, and pennit them to place their services, material 

20 



and men more effectually at the disposal of the govern- 
ment. 

When the men of the 2d, 6th and 9th Regmients were 
doing guard duty, the Transportation Committee arranged 
for their free transportation to and from the armories. 
Early in April the American Railway Association, repre- 
senting all the railroads in the United States, formed a 
special Committee on National Defense, its efforts to be 
divided among the committees located in the four divisions 
of the country as laid out by the War Department; and 
in May Mr. James H. Hustis, chairman of the Transporta- 
tion Committee, was selected as chairman of the North- 
eastern Division. The Committee kept in touch with the 
Secretary of War and the President of the War College; 
also with the assistant quartermaster-general and assistant 
surgeon-general, through whom all information involving 
transportation and protection of railways and railroads was 
regularly furnished to the War Department. In general, 
the scope of the Committee's work included the furnishing 
of data similar to that furnished by the Committee on Trans- 
portation to the Executive Committee on Public Safety. 

Committee on Federal and State Legislation 

This Committee was made up of a number of prominent 
lawyers. Its functions were to draft emergency legislation; 
to advise as to existing laws. State and national; to supply 
precedents for war legislation from the statutes of Great 
Britain on any subject regarding which the Executive Com- 
mittee desired such information, and to suggest whatever 
further legislation might appear to be necessary. In short, 
the Committee was to act as the legal adviser of the Execu- 
tive Committee. It also drafted bills relating to the fol- 
lowing functions, and obtained their favorable considera- 
tion by the Legislature: — 

Home Guard. 
Dependent aid. 
State pay for soldiers. 

21 



$1,000,000 special appropriation. 

Empowering the Governor to appoint 300 temporary 
members of the State Police. 

That the Executive Committee and officers of sub-com- 
mittees might have prompt assistance on all matters requir- 
ing legal advice, it was sought to have some one member of 
the Legislation Committee always available at the State 
House. Legal advice was given gratis in answer to innu- 
merable queries, among which the following subjects may- 
be classed as the more important: — 

War risks in insurance policies. 

Aviation field. 

Transportation of explosives on street railways. 

Insults to the flag. 

Mobilization of schoolboys by municipalities for farm work. 

Free preparation of private and park lands by municipal teams and men. 

Plans for carrying out the Federal Draft Law in Massachusetts. 

But by far the most important State law enacted, as 
affecting the interests of the Committee on Public Safety, 
was the Commonwealth Defence Act. The birth of the 
Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety was the result 
of a universal feeling among our citizens that the times 
demanded an entirely new order of defense, and the growth 
of the Committee's work was supported by patriotic enthusi- 
asm. At the beginning, however, its scope was strictly 
limited to such action as our anti-war laws permitted. It 
therefore became at once of the utmost importance to pro- 
cure legislation as free as possible from red tape, and 
broader in conception than the laws under which we had 
been living through a long era of peace; otherwise the 
results the Committee afterwards obtained, and for which 
it was created, could never have been gained in strict accord- 
ance with either our statute or common law. To meet this 
necessity which the war had brought about, and to strengthen 
the hands of the Committee, the Commonwealth Defence 
Act was passed on May 2G, 1917. This act contained the 

22 



express provision that it was to remain in force only for the 
duration of the war. It will readily be appreciated how 
impossible it was at this time to forecast the future. Our 
country had suddenly become plunged into a chaos of 
strange conditions which destroyed the conventional rut of 
thought and aspiration in which we had lived so long, and 
molded the souls of all men into a grim determination to 
win the war. It was, therefore, with an assured confidence 
that the people were asked to surrender their democratic 
power and establish a condition fundamentally foreign to 
their ideas of democracy, in order that a wider range might 
be permitted to every project involving the safety of the 
State. Probably so drastic, so daring, and, as afterwards 
proved, so vitally important a law for the protection and 
safety of the Commonwealth was never before entertained 
by a Massachusetts Legislature. Its character was not 
only without precedent in Massachusetts, but it was the 
first law of its kind enacted by any State in the Union. Yet 
it met with such country-wide recommendation that the 
Judge Advocate of the United States endorsed it, form and 
substance, as an excellent example of legislation for other 
States to follow and put on their own statute books, — a 
recommendation which was very generally followed. 

Details of the bill covered many pages. Among the prin- 
cipal subjects treated were the registration of aliens over 
eighteen years of age and the imposition of additional restric- 
tions upon this class of citizens, with a punitiv^e clause 
added for any violation of the provisions of the act. The 
Governor was empowered to take property, real and per- 
sonal, and to give compensation for the same; to appoint 
special officers, and to co-operate with the Council of 
National Defense. In addition, he was authorized to dele- 
gate to others some of the powers given to him by the bill, 
the later exercise of which right proved the base and bul- 
wark of a greater part of the activities of the Committee 
on Public Safety. It contained provisions, also, for the 
transfer of real estate located within the Commonwealth to 

23 



persons outside of the State, and to a certain degree relaxed 
the rigor of the law in cases of absentee defendants who 
were in the military or naval service. It established the 
right of courts to refuse bail to defendants when their liberty 
in\'olved a menace to the public safety. The construction 
of explosives, bomb or shell, was made subject to fine and 
imj^risonn^ent. The act also gave the Governor the right 
to survey the amount of food in the Commonwealth, as well 
as the land and labor available for its production; to collecrt 
all such other data as would help strengthen the food situa- 
tion, with forcible attendance of witnesses and the co-ojjera- 
tion of State departments in gathering such information; 
and the power to regulate the use of fireworks and fire- 
crackers. It provided, further, for the appointment of a 
committee for regulating and licensing the hours of labor 
during the period of the war. Autocratic as these provi- 
sions were, contrary and opposed as they appear to our 
Declaration of Rights and our established theories of per- 
sonal liberty and protection, they were both accepted and 
endorsed by a sane, patriotic people as a strictly temporary 
measure to meet a crying need in a time of great emergency. 

Committee on Mobilization and Concentration 

Camps 

A careful study was made by this Committee of available 
camp sites and their condition as to roads, kitchens, mess 
shelters, latrines, bath houses and storehouses; and in re- 
gard to the installation of water and sewer systems. Con- 
ferences were held with Adjutant-General Sweetser and the 
Senior Inspector Instructor of the United States Army, that 
the Committee might become better acquainted with the 
needs of the National Guard and the United States Army 
in case of troop mobilization. Framingham was the only 
available mobilization camp in Massachusetts at this time, 
— a location which had practically outlived its usefulness. 
Numerous offers of land to the government to be used for 

24 



camp purposes were received by the Committee, some of 
which were accepted. 

At the request of the Navy Department the Committee 
assisted in the selection of sites for temporary camps for 
members of the Naval Reserve. 

Committee on Horses 

The Committee on Horses made a survey of horses for 
military use, getting in touch with New England and western 
export dealers in order to list all horses available for pur- 
chase. Specific assistance was given by the Committee to 
the 9th Regiment early in April, 1917, in an examination of 
horses and mules shipped from the southwest. 

Committee on Trucks and Motor Cars 

The Committee on Trucks and Motor Cars endeavored to 
secure enrollments of motor cars and trucks wherever the 
owners would agree to hold them subject to the disposal of 
the State in case of military emergency. Local committees 
were organized throughout the State, and approximately 
50,000 enrollment cards were distributed. In all, about 
5,000 enrollments were secured, of which approximately 
two-thirds were motor cars and the balance trucks. It was 
estimated that the cars had a carrying capacity, including 
drivers, of 16,670 persons, and the trucks of 4,164 tons. 
Each car owner was given a circular form of decalcomania 
seal, about two and one-half inches in diameter, containing 
the words, "Enrolled for Service — Committee on Public 
Safety," and was allowed the privilege of attaching this seal 
to his car immediately upon acceptance of his enrollment. 

The New England Telephone and Telegraph Company 
formulated a plan of notification by telephone to those en- 
rolled, which they agreed to put in operation whenever 
called upon by the Committee. Fortunately, no military 
emergency arose to properly test the results obtained by 
this Committee, but the mere fact that so many Massa- 

25 



chiisetts people gratuitously offered their cars was evidence 
of their desire to help win the war, and a source of encour- 
agement to all others working for that general end. 

Committee on Publicity 

The name of this Committee at once brings a vivid sense 
of the obligation owed to the Massachusetts press, one not 
likely to be forgotten by any one connected with the work 
of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. 

One of the first acts of Mr. Storrow was to summon for 
considtation with the Executive Committee representatives 
from leading newspapers in the city. The general scope of 
the work contemplated was laid before them, and their 
advice and assistance, locally and throughout the State, 
earnestly requested. This they immediately offered, and 
without any hesitation. From the birth of the Committee 
on Public Safety, when its functions were relatively limited, 
continuously through the twenty-one months of its diverse 
and greatly widening activities and up to the last day of its 
existence, the press of Massachusetts gave to the Committee 
its honest support, its time and its columns, and, above all, 
its good will, with loyal fealty to its original promise. 

The Publicity Committee did a very general, valuable 
and helpful work. It was, in fact, an authorized bureau 
for public information; a medium between the Committee 
and the press, relieving them both from unnecessary inter- 
views and duplication. It kept in touch with the activities 
of the Executive Committee, and daily assisted in super- 
vising advertisements and press notices, at the same time 
arranging for their distribution and insertion in the news- 
papers. Specifically, it reported the meetings of the Exec- 
utive Committee when the same were of public interest, and 
gave particular attention to the work of any sub-committee 
needing its help. At the request of the Committee on Re- 
cruiting, it prepared at short notice 500,000 four-page leaf- 
lets with information as to how to enlist. In this connec- 

26 



tion 25,000 posters were also distributed, and a two-column 
advertisement was inserted in every daily newspaper in the 
State. When the Harvard Medical Unit was suddenly sum- 
moned for service abroad, and needed cooks and other assist- 
ants, an advertisement was put on the front page of every 
Boston newspaper, whereby the urgency demanded was 
spread broadcast. As a result, in one day the unit obtained 
its full complement of assistants. In addition to the space 
courteously offered by the press in behalf of the Committee 
on Food Production, two columns of matter, in plate form, 
were sent regularly for three weeks to 170 daily and weekly 
newspapers. Another lot of 25,000 posters was prepared, 
which were used chiefly on the dashers of trolley cars. Pic- 
ture slides encouraging home gardens were sent to 400 
picture theatres, where they were displayed without charge. 
The Committee was fortunately able to secure for a portion 
of the time during the first few months the services of 
Mr. Thomas J. Feeney, publicity director for the New Eng- 
land Telephone and Telegraph Company. Later Mr. John 
F. O'Connell, Publicity Director for the United Shoe Ma- 
chinery Company, was delegated to represent the Com- 
mittee in all matters. When the Food Administration was 
organized early in July, 1917, very extensive publicity was 
given by Mr. O'Connell to its multitudinous activities; and 
in the long list of labor troubles which were settled by Mr. 
Endicott his services again proved of great value. He 
always exercised that tactful discretion necessary to estab- 
lish a happy medium between talking too little and acquir- 
ing the unenviable reputation of giving the press more than 
they were ready to print. 



27 



CHAPTER IV 

LOCAL DEFENSE 

The fundamental principle controlling the purpose of the 
Connnittee on Public Safety during the first period of its 
work aimed at perfecting the local defense. As already 
stated, and with this purpose in view, the Committee by its 
initial vote declared it of paramount importance that the 
existing military organizations in the State be fully equipped 
to the minutest detail; and that their present peace basis 
of equipment, as well as what might be demanded in case 
the United States entered the war, should be rigorously 
inciuired into. The first step towards this end was the 
forming of the Preparatory Committees, some of which have 
already been described; others, whose functions were more 
distinctly military or naval in their character, follow. 

Committee on Land Forces 

The duties of the Committee on Land Forces embraced 
all matters involving the local defense, including the addi- 
tional requirements of existing military bodies in the State, 
and what might be necessary for any units thereafter 
formed, especial attention being given to all matters relating 
to equipment and supplies. The Committee was short- 
lived, practically going out of existence at about the time 
our troops embarked for the front. In the interim, how- 
ever, besides acting in an advisory capacity, for whicli its 
personnel was peculiarly adapted, it made a very thorough 
investigation of equipment conditions, both as to what was 
needed and what could be procured at home, and also 
what would be furnished by the authorities at Washington. 
The residts obtained may best be gathered from the account 
of the Committee on Mobilization and Concentration of 
Camps, Home Guards, Horses, Recruiting, Trucks and 

28 



Motor Cars, and, particularly, of the Committee on Equip- 
ment and Supplies. It would be well, however, to bear in 
mind that the Committee on Public Safety's work in its 
relation to the land forces of the Commonwealth was in no 
sense confined to the Committee on Land Forces, though 
greatly indebted for its valuable assistance and advice, but 
that this subject was included to a greater or less degree in 
the activities of all the Preparatory Committees. 

Committee on State Protection 

The Committee on State Protection, after an exhaustive 
study of existing conditions and points of danger, presented 
their final recommendations to the Executive Committee, 
together with a list of certain centers where the needs were 
most pressing, including vital points along the lines of our 
principal railroads, viaducts, ferries, etc., and with special 
emphasis on the need of guarding the railroad bridges. 
They reported, moreover, that the necessity of protecting 
power, ammunition and similar privately owned plants was 
not so immediate. At first there were but two sources of 
supply from which legally authorized man power could be 
obtained to guard these localities, — viz., the local police 
and the District Police, and the State National Guard, 
formerly the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Thereupon, 
the chairman, with the support of a very able committee, 
made an exhaustive study and compilation of all existing 
State laws dealing with crime, police forces and their organ- 
ization, and the registration of aliens. As a result, tenta- 
tive laws were presented to the Executive Committee rec- 
ommending certain legislation. 

On March 2, 1917, the Legislature, under General Acts, 
chapter 43, in partial accordance with the recommendation 
of the Committee, authorized the Governor within his dis- 
cretion to appoint special District Police oflBcers, the number 
not to exceed 300. All officers so appointed were to have 
the same power as that held by the District Police, — 
including the authority to bear arms, — their organization, 

29 



discipline, eqiiii)inent, etc., to be subject to rules and regu- 
lations issued by the Chief of the District Police. 

On March 12, pursuant to this bill, 96 special police 
officers were appointed by His Excellency for the more 
definite purpose of covering the eight or ten bridges over 
the Cape Cod Canal and the two tunnels at North Adams, 
as advised by the Committee on State Protection. 

In the meantime representatives of the Committee visited 
the various cities of the State, interviewing their mayors 
and outlining and explaining the general work of the Com- 
mittee on Public Safety. Likewise they urged the officials 
of each city to prepare plans for the protection of life and 
projjerty within their boundaries, in anticipation of war 
being declared. 

The State Protection Committee also analyzed carefully 
all laws relating to explosives, — the detective and fire 
inspection department of the District Police having the 
power to regulate the keeping, storage, use, manufacture, 
sale, handling, transportation and general disposition of all 
combustible explosives, — in order to ensure that the old 
and newly formed bodies of police should be fully instructed 
in their duties, and that they might be able to tell at a 
moment's notice where a given amount of dangerous or 
destructive material was stored. 

It ciuickly became evident that, in the appointment of an 
additional number to the existing force of the District 
Police, enough men could not be secured who through experi- 
ence and natural qualifications combined were efficient to 
perform a policeman's job. The whole scheme was then 
submitted by the Executive Committee to the Adjutant- 
General's office, representing the military forces of the State. 
This department, as then constituted, took the position that 
any plan to utilize the military forces of the Common- 
wealth for })olice purposes in time of peace was miscon- 
ceived. It was argued as unfair to force such service upon 
a body who had not enlisted with that understanding, and 
that a soldier's business was neither to discover crime nor 



30 



to make arrests. Moreover, an enlisted man, acting as 
jioliceman, received but half the ])ay he was entitled to as a 
soldier. In short, the whole problem of guarding was 
peculiarly a police job and not a soldier's job. It was also 
further pointed out that the expenses of wage and equip- 
ment, where private enterprises were involved, ought prop- 
erly to be borne by those receiving the direct benefit of 
such protection. An exception was offered to this last posi- 
tion, however, in the case of railroads, whose safeguarding, 
as public utilities, might fairly be judged to come within 
the obligation of the State, though in many cases this in 
turn might properly be considered as matter for the atten- 
tion of the Federal government. 

All special guarding during the early days of March, 1917, 
was attempted by local volunteers. On March 25 and 30 
details from the 2d and 9th Regiments of Infantry, and on 
the 30th details from the 6th Regiment Infantry, were 
ordered on guard duty, as was likewise Company B of the 
101st Engineers, 1st Corps Cadets, later sent to Camp 
Devens. 

The organizations, therefore, approaching a military 
character, established by law and authorized at this time 
to contribute to our local defense in the way of land forces, 
were, as we have seen, a part of the State National Guard 
and an enlarged police force. The Massachusetts Volun- 
teer Militia had been merged into the State National Guard 
on October 12, 1907, and on July 28, 1917, three and one- 
half months after w^e entered the war, its members, then 
National Guardsmen, were enrolled into the Federal service. 
This would have left the Commonwealth without organized 
military defense but for the fact that the Legislature, at the 
instance of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety, 
by act passed April 5, 1917, chapter 148 of the General Acts, 
authorized the Governor as a war measure to establish a 
Home Guard. This body is now very generally spoken of 
as the "State Guard," but is not to be confounded with 
the disbanded Volunteer Militia or with the State National 
Guard. 

31 



The intleterminate use of the word "Guard" has often 
led to misunderstanding. The organization at first known 
as "Home Guard" was purely a makeshift creation of the 
Committee on Public Safety, and was composed of volun- 
teers from the different cities and towns. Its scattered 
units had no State recognition, were, responsible only to 
local authority, were self-supporting and without any uni- 
fication whatever. The purpose for which they were 
brought together was solely to have something to fall back 
on until such time as a better and legally constituted military 
contingent. State or Federal, could be perfected. This, as 
already pointed out, took place at the time of the organiza- 
tion of the State Guard luider chapter 148, the act being 
known as the "Home Guard bill." This, with certain limita- 
tions as to age and physical condition, authorized a volun- 
tary enlistment of men who, when called for service were 
bound to perform, under the direction of the Governor as 
Commander-in-Chief, all the powers of constables, police 
officers and watchmen, except in civil process. The intent 
of the bill was to create a body which should defend the 
homes in place of the National Guard thereafter enrolled 
by, and subject to the orders of, the Federal government. 

To summarize, we had in Massachusetts on April 6, 1917, 
legally authorized to bear anns, but two land forces: — 

First. — The Massachusetts National Guard, remaining 
under State control until July 28, 1917, when it became 
part of the National Army and was ordered to rendezvous, 
the mustering-in being completed by August 1. 

Second. — A newly organized State Guard to consist of 
inhabitants of the Commonwealth, over thirty-five years of 
age, "or married men under that age with dependents, or 
physically disqualified from service in the National Guard." 
This unit v/as only, in embryo at the time we became partici- 
pants in the war, and it had practically no membership, 
unless a few of the so-called local and home guards from 
the small towns, which were used as a nucleus, might be so 
considered. The State Guard, though in no respect a crea- 

32 



tion of the Committee on Public Safety, received at the 
time of its formation every assistance possible from that 
body, and was entirely dependent upon it for its equipment. 

State Guard 

The Massachusetts State Guard was authorized April 5, 
1917, under General Acts, chapter 148. To carry out its 
provisions the Governor in an official order dated April 11, 
1917, appointed a State Guard Board, consisting of Hon. 
Butler Ames, Brigadier-General, commanding; Samuel D. 
Parker, Brigadier-General; John J. Sullivan, Brigadier- 
General; Elmore D. Locke, Lieutenant-Colonel; Stephen 
W. Sleeper, Lieutenant-Colonel; and Philip S. Sears, Major, 
as military secretary. This Board, in compliance with the 
order, at once began to organize the new force, and a sum of 
$'-200,000 was appropriated under General Acts, chapter 331, 
for the Guard's maintenance. Most of this money was ex- 
pended for rifles and equipment, although several of the 
companies supplied their own equipment without cost to the 
State. General Ames and his staff spent several weeks per- 
fecting the organization, using to a very great extent the 
local Committees on Public Safety for that purpose. A 
report made by the Board under date of July 27, 1917, 
certified the State Guard's enrolhnent to be 9,000 men. By 
January 1, 1918, the organization reached a total strength 
of about 725 officers and 10,900 enlisted men, composed of 
three brigades with eleven regiments of infantry, or approxi- 
mately 145 companies. To four of these regiments machine- 
gun companies were attached. Li addition, were the 1st 
Motor Corps, — an independent battalion of four compa- 
nies with one hundred cars, — the 1st Troop of Cavalry and 
a medical department. Enlistments were for two years, 
unless sooner discharged on declaration of peace. Before 
being mustered into service all applicants were compelled 
to undergo a thorough physical examination, conducted by 
the Guard's medical staff, and 11,000 examinations of en- 
listed officers and men were thus made. These services 

33 



were gratuitously given by the physicians, often to the 
detriment of their private practice. The personnel of the 
officers was of high order, each candidate being obliged to 
secure, before appointment, a recommendation from the 
local Committee on Public Safety in his district, as well as 
one from the mayor or board of selectmen of his city or 
tow^l. In the old militia the 9th Regiment was the highest 
recorded regimental number, and to avoid confusion the 
new formation began with the number 10. The Guard's 
uniform was similar to that worn by United States Regu- 
lars, although the insignia and brassards were distinctive 
and plainly indicated the arm of service. 

On December 6, 1917, the Governor was importuned by 
the Fnited States Marshal for the Massachusetts District to 
supply troops to guard the barred zones created by a procla- 
mation issued by President Wilson. In compliance there- 
with, and to meet the emergency, Governor McCall ordered 
the State Guard to perform this duty, but at the same time 
made the stipulation to the Marshal, in writing, that, this 
being an expense properly chargeable to the Federal govern- 
ment, such services would be terminated after January 1, 
1918. Two companies of the Guard, each man having 
passed a physical examination by the medical advisor, 
reported for duty Friday, December 4, 1917. These com- 
panies were relieved by other detachments on December 14, 
and again on December 21. On this latter date notifica- 
tion was received from the Federal government that the 
last detachment would be supplanted by troops now doing 
duty at the fortifications in the harbor. 

The State supplied a medical officer, always on call; and 
quarters, food, clothing and equipment were kept thoroughly 
inspected. This emergency duty performed by the State 
Guard, often under specially trying conditions of weather, 
was met with a zeal reflecting great credit on both officers 
and men. 

The Guard drilled steadily and faithfully, with particular 
attention to close order drill, guard duty, and the use of the 

34 



rifle in target practice. Each company was ordered to drill 
once a week, though many of them doubled this require- 
ment. Commissioned and non-commissioned officers held 
informal meetings looking to the attainment of the highest 
military efficiency for the unit. During September and 
October, 1917, four regimental drills were held in different 
parts of the State, to which transportation to and fro was 
provided by the Commonwealth. These drills were volun- 
tary, but the men showed great enthusiasm, and attended 
in large numbers. The officers also offered instruction in 
military tactics to drafted men several weeks prior to their 
being sent to concentration camps, and several hundreds of 
those conscripted, before their actual induction into the 
service, availed themselves of the opportunity. To this 
cause is attributed the rapid promotions many of them later 
received to commissions in the National Army. 

When the second Liberty Loan was being floated Mr. 
Endicott suggested to General Ames that valuable help 
could be given by his command; and through the great 
energy which the State Guard developed in getting sub- 
scriptions listed, many thousand dollars' worth of bonds 
were subscribed for by his men. 

How the Committee on Public Safety was instrumental 
in equipping the State Guard through its Committee on 
Equipment and Supplies, and the relations the organization 
bore to the work of the Committee on Public Safety at the 
time of the Halifax disaster and of the Emergency Hospital 
venture, will be described later when those subjects are 
more particularly considered. 

Hon. Butler Ames, a graduate of West Point, who had 
seen service with the 6th Massachusetts Regiment in the 
Spanish War with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, was ap- 
pointed by the Governor brigadier-general in command of 
the State Guard, and was later promoted to the rank 
of major-general. His staff consisted of the following 
officers : — 



35 



Maj. Paul R. Hawkins. 
Maj. Clifford S. Anderson, 
Maj. Joseph A. Legare. 
Maj. M. J. Splaine. 
Maj. M. J. Smart. 



Maj. Samuel H. Wolcott. 
Maj. Steplien V. R. Crosby, 
Maj. John S. Lawrence. 
Capt. Charles H. Parker. 



Lieut. -Col. William A. Brooks, Acting Surgeon-General of 
the Commonwealth, headed the medical staff. Other 
officers were as follows : — 

10th Regiment, Col. Thomas F. Sullivan. 

11th Regiment, Brig.-Gen. Charles Pfaff, retired Colonel. 

1^2th Regiment, Col. H. F. Ballard. 

13th Regiment, Col. Louis A. Frothingliam. 

14th Regiment, Col. Henry L. Kincaide. 

15th Regiment, Col. E. H. Eldridge. 

16th Regiment, Col. Louis S. Cox. 

17th Regiment, Col. William H. Beatty. 

18th Regiment, Col. John F. Hurley. 

19th Regiment, Col. Harry C. Young. 

20th Regiment, Col. W. S. Warriner. 

1st Motor Corps, Lieut. -Col. John W. Decrow. 

1st Troop Cavalry, Capt. Charles E. Reed. 

Committee on Naval Forces 

Naval Militia. — On January 1, 1917, the State naval 
militia consisted of 64 officers and 778 enlisted men, under 
the orders of the Governor as Commander-in-Chief, but 
subject to the call of the President of the United States. 

The Committee on Naval Forces was appointed to 
strengthen the work of the naval militia, and at the same 
time to arrange for the more effective protection of our 
coast defenses. The scope of its activities included all 
branches of the United States naval service in the First 
Naval District, extending from Chatham, Mass., to East- 
port, Me., and embraced: — 

(a) Enrollment of the Coast Defense Reserve. 

(b) Enrollment of vessels suitable for a patrol fleet. 

(c) Arrangements for bases, arms and ammunition; also for supply 
vessels and repair yards in connection therewith. 

36 



(d) Means of communication; arrangements for transportation, and 
special necessary equipment. 

(e) Co-operation with the naval militia, and assistance in commis- 
sioning the existing Naval Flying Corps Unit (a part of the naval militia), 
and in the enrollment of additional flying units. 

(/) Co-operation with all special aid societies, the Red Cross, and all 
activities having for their stated object the welfare of the navy and 
naval forces. 

(g) Directing all naval activities pertaining to the above in that part 
of Massachusetts not in the First Naval District into proper channels 
of the Second Naval District. 

Enrollment. — One of the first things done by the Com- 
mittee was to go over the subject of the naval miUtia with 
its commodore, James P. Parker, in order to assist him in 
recruiting the organization up to its full complement. The 
sum of $200 was appropriated for this work by the Commit- 
tee on Public Safety. 

Among the many results obtained by the Committee, the 
following appear to have been the more important: — 

Arrangements were made to have the enrolling officers 
for all classes of reserves located in one and the same place. 
Every opportunity was taken by the Committee to stimu- 
late enlistment in the regular navy and the naval militia, 
and particular emphasis was placed upon the need of men 
for the naval coast defense patrol. In this work great 
assistance was given by the Naval Training Association, 
which published information by pamphlets, for circulation 
not only in Massachusetts, but likewise in Maine, Vermont 
and New York. Enrolling parties were sent to Province- 
town, Duxbury, Scituate, Cohasset, Plymouth, Hingham, 
Brockton, Salem, Gloucester and to various points along 
the Maine coast, to canvass the district as far as possible 
and stimulate interest in enrollment. 

Patrol Boats. — Enrolling blanks were issued covering all 
boats in the First Naval District suitable for a patrol fleet. 
The data so collected showed over one hundred steam 
yachts and motor boats ready for service in case of war, and 
arrangements were made by the Committee to put the best 

37 



of these immediately into commission if the demand arose. 
Moreover, in order that the Committee might keep in full 
touch with the needs of the Commandant at the Navy 
Yard, three of its members were enrolled on his staff as 
civilian aids. 

School for Ensigns. — Through the efforts of the Com- 
mittee, the Navy Department was materially aided in the 
establishment at the Corinthian Yacht Club, Marblehead, 
of a School for Ensigns; and also in housing 5,000 regular 
seamen about to be quartered in the Marblehead District. 
Early in x\pril a considerable number of machine guns 
were obtained from the Navy Department to be placed on 
board the various patrol boats that were taken by the 
government. 

Squantum. — About five hundred candidates for the 
Massachusetts School for Naval Air Service were inter- 
viewed by the Committee, and on its recommendation were 
afterwards examined at the Navy Yard. As a result of a 
visit to the Navy Department at Washington, two aero- 
planes were secured for the district, with the promise of 
two additional ones. The Committee erected and equipped, 
at an expense of $32,998, the necessary buildings and han- 
gars for the Massachusetts School for Naval Air Service at 
Squantum, in which classes of thirty men at a time, between 
the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, were given the pre- 
liminary training in flying requisite for a commission in the 
Naval Reserve Flying Corps. The sum of $1,500 was 
secured from the city of Quincy, of which Squantum is a 
part, to meet the expense of equipping the field with water. 
The city of Quincy also arranged for placing guards around, 
the grounds, the guarding on the water side being done by 
the navy. The organization was formally taken over by 
the Department of the Navy May 11, 1917. 

According to a ruling of the Navy Department, the 
moment a unit of the naval militia reported at the armory 
it came de facto under the control of the United States. 
This at once severed its relations with the State, and all 

38 



further activities in its behalf on the part of the Committee 
on PubHc Safety became unnecessary. On the other hand, 
if any of the National Guard mobilized, the War Depart- 
ment did not necessarily take them over immediately, and 
the Committee's services were still required during the in- 
terim awaiting action by the government, as will be shown 
later. 



39 



CHAPTER \ 

LOCAL DEFENSE — Continued 

To return to the land forces. Between April G and July 
28, at which time the government formally took over the 
National Guard, the labor of seeing to its proper efj[uipment 
and recruiting it to war strength became the special care of 
the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. 

This task was beset with many difficulties and constant 
discouragement. To begin w^ith, there was a great scarcity 
of man power. Many of the Guard came back from the 
Texan Border discouraged and disillusioned, realizing that 
playing at war at home and the real business of war were 
entirely different propositions. Others felt that as National 
Guards they had been discriminated against, and this they 
strongly resented. The result was that drills were not at- 
tended, men and officers wanted to resign, and the force 
was threatened with demoralization. Our total United 
States National Guard numbered but 150,000 men available 
for field service at short notice. Still further, the United 
States Army was said to be unable to put more than 50,000 
men into the field, so many of the Regular Troops were 
with the coast defenses, and in the Philippines, Alaska and 
Hawaii. The Secretary of War had given his estimate for 
equipping the National Guard, but there appeared to be 
no money obtainable for that purpose, nor was it known 
how soon the government could or would furnish the neces- 
sary means. It appeared, therefore, to the Executive Com- 
mittee advisable to find out at once from manufacturers, 
and others capable of furnishing overcoats, shoes, gloves, 
underwear, etc., what standard equipment was available in 
the country, and what could be supplied at short notice, so 
as to collect the necessary furnishings either through State 
agencies or private sources. The status of enlistment also 

40 



was at that time far below the required standard. The 
preceding January there were but 54 enhstments in Massa- 
chusetts, when 200 a month were thought to be necessary to 
maintain our peace strength; while to make up the com- 
plement of men necessary to full war strength would require 
6,000 or 7,000 more men than we had. 

If, under orders from Washington, our National Guard 
units should be called upon to protect the State, they would 
thereby become de facto Federal troops. If the Governor, 
however, took the initiative, they would remain State troops 
and receive State pay. In the former case they received 
50 cents a day. As militia men they received $1.50 with 
subsistence. 

When our troops were on the Mexican Border the govern- 
ment added $10 a month to the soldier's pay, and under 
certain restrictions helped the dependents at home. Here, 
again, although the government had appropriated $2,000,000 
for the relief of dependents of these soldiers, the plan did 
not work very well. The chief difficulty was that a majority 
of dependents did not, or would not, accept any help except 
in cases where direct need existed. It seemed impossible 
for them, with their American notions of independence, to 
construe such relief as not making them objects of charity. 
This honorable sensitiveness seemed inborn in our com- 
munities. The preceding year the same objection had at 
first seriously interfered with the efforts of the Massachu- 
setts Volunteer Aid Association, an organization appointed 
by the Governor for the express purpose of relieving the 
families of the soldiers at the Border, and supported by 
popular subscription. In both cases it proved most diffi- 
cult to convince many dependents, no matter in what form 
the assistance might be offered, that they were not being 
pauperized. In this general connection, also, a Federal 
soldier's pay could not possibly support his family unless 
he was willing to be helped, and he was thus prevented from 
enlisting unless he had other means of subsistence; nor did 
the recommendation of the Secretary of War that the pay 

41 



be raised to $30 a month remove tlie difficulty, as that 
amount would not make a soldier's total receipts sufficient 
to maintain an average family. Such bodies of troops as 
had been in Texas were, under the new call, authorized to 
maintain war strength; but others, called out at the same 
time, were refused that right, and had been unable to get 
the order rescinded. It appeared, also, in the opinion of 
the Judge Advocate-General of the army, that the State 
could not itself maintain an organized militia outside of the 
National Guard and before the latter was taken into the 
National Army. The final outcome of this complicated sit- 
uation resulted in the morale of the National Guard being 
seriously threatened. 

It was fifty-two years since we had been engaged in a 
formidable war, and the early spring of 1917 found the 
United States totally unprepared by land, and with a sea 
strength less than two-thirds that of Germany. We were 
also 25,000 men short of the complement necessary to man 
such fleet as we had. Our Regular Army was not up to the 
authorized standard of its strength by many thousands. 
What ordnance we possessed was limited in quantity, poor 
in quality and out of date. We had a few badly constructed 
and useless types of machine guns, besides a negligible 
number of English make and design. There was not at 
this time within the whole breadth of the United States a 
single heavy field gun, one fighting airship, any aviators or 
schools for their instruction. Thus Massachusetts, on April 
6, 1917, with war declared, had no defense, naval or mili- 
tary. State or national, on which she could properly rely. 
Naked of eciuipment and man power, she was helpless to 
oppose the Hun, who might land am^where on our coast, 
from Chatham, Mass., to Eastport, Me., and eventually 
march up and down State Street to his heart's content. 

The foregoing conditions brought forcibly to the attention 
of the Committee «n Public Safety the pressing need of 
strengthening our military efficiency so far as possible with 
the limited material on hand. 

42 



Committee on Military Equipment and Supplies 

The Executive Committee bad already formally affirmed 
that the obvious function and obligation of the Committee 
on Military Equipment and Supplies was to keep in touch 
with the Adjutant-General's office, and to ascertain what 
material was readily obtainable through official channels; 
and that whenever the Federal government should take over 
the National Guard of Massachusetts in its entirety, then 
the duties and activities of the Committee should cease, or 
be turned into some other useful channel. 

Accordingly, the Committee began its work by taking an 
inventory of existing supplies throughout the Common- 
wealth, and this listing was kept fully up to date. But 
on July 28, 1917, the Massachusetts National Guard was 
merged into the National Army, and henceforth the duties 
of the Equipment and Supplies Committee were directed 
solely towards equipping and supplying the newly formed 
State Guard, the Committee ceasing to have further official 
connection with any other military unit. 

As illustrations of the Committee's general promptitude 
and efficiency, a few interesting examples might be given of 
assistance rendered the National Guard before the State 
Guard was established. 

For instance, on April 9, three days after our declaration 
of war, an application was made to the Massachusetts Com- 
mittee on Public Safety by Gen. E. Leroj^ Sweetser, then 
Adjutant-General, for 1,350 pairs of rubbers for the 2d, 6th 
and 9th Regiments. These units were performing arduous 
guard duty throughout the State, which exposed them to 
trying and severe vicissitudes of weather, and more par- 
ticularly at this special time to dangers arising from a late 
heavy fall of snow. The necessity was imperative, and per- 
mitted no opportunity for bids. The Committee managed 
to procure the required goods and deliver them to the regi- 
ments on the afternoon of the same day. 

Again, on April 13, at the request of the authorities at 
Washington, 1,000 pairs of woolen gloves were supplied to 

43 



the Cth Regiment. Tliis requisition was received at 12.30 
P.M., but the gloves were ready for delivery on the same 
afternoon. 

On April 5 and 16 aid was requested in furnishing medical 
su])plies for the 9th Regiment, including pi-actically every- 
thing required to fill the medicine chest of that unit, and 
covering a long line of articles. It is interesting in this 
connection to note that, although the 9th Regiment's store 
of medical supplies had become exhausted during its serv- 
ice on the Mexican Border, yet, notwithstanding repeated 
reciuisitions had subsequently been made on Washington to 
replenish the same, no i-esults had been obtained after a 
lapse of many months. The Committee, however, on de- 
mand, supplied the requirements within thirty-six hours. 

Also, at the request of the Committee on Naval Affairs, 
the Committee made a contract for 10,000 pea-jackets. The 
chairman of the Naval Committee reported to the Equip- 
ment Committee on Friday afternoon, April 13, that the 
Navy Department asserted they were unable to furnish pea- 
jackets to protect the men who were being enrolled, the 
market being entirely out of regulation 30-ounce cloth. At 
the same time, however, the Navy Department agreed to 
make up these garments at a cost not exceeding $4.50 
apiece, — the actual expense to the government, — provided 
it could be furnished with the cloth. Mr. Preston's Com- 
mittee quickly ])ut itself in touch with woolen manufac- 
turers handling this grade of cloth, and after scouring the 
country ascertained that the New York representative of 
the American Woolen Company having special charge of the 
Uniform Department was expected in Boston the following 
day, Saturday, to attend a wedding. The wedding festivi- 
ties were broken in upon to the extent of an interview with 
this representative, who after his return to New York tele- 
phoned the Committee at 11 o'clock on Monday morning 
that he had unearthed 30,000 yards of the required cloth of 
a quality which would pass government inspection. The 
result was, that after a further conference of the two Com- 



mittees and the Boston representative of the manufacturer, 
within an hour, at 12 o'clock, a contract was closed for the 
entire amount of goods on the basis of $13.50 per garment. 
The regular cost to the government of these pea-jackets 
had heretofore been between $14.26 and $14.75 per gar- 
ment. 

Ouifiiting State Guard. — In the equipment of the State 
Guard, because of the delays incident to the organization of 
that body, ample opportunity was given to provide every 
necessity, and on a strictly competitive basis. The prices 
then paid were at least as low as it was possible to obtain 
goods of similar quality at the time the purchases were 
made. It should be remembered that the movement of 
prices during this period was very rapid, and the difficulties 
of obtaining material of good quality multiplied. Inasmuch, 
also, as it was not practical to forecast the entire needs of 
the State Guard in relation to their various kinds of equip- 
ment, some of the later purchases of the Committee were 
necessarily made at a higher figure. 

In illustration of this increase in price, the Committee 
had an option on a bid for 7,479 Springfield rifles (45.70) at 
$5.75 apiece; but when, after a long wait, requisitions were 
finally received, it was found impossible to purchase them 
for less than $7.75 per weapon. This delay was partly due 
to an unsuccessful effort in the meantime to obtain "Krag" 
rifles from the government free of charge. In respect to all 
the difficulties and disappointments incurred in obtaining 
equipment for the State Guard, the authorities in charge 
were obliged to feel their way cautiously in the organiza- 
tion of that body, and could hardly be expected to anticipate 
its full rec{uirements very far ahead. 

The expenditure of the Committee in the matter of equip- 
ping the State Guard, numbering 8,500 men, was $38.50 
per man, and embraced the following articles : — 



45 



Coats, .... 


9,500 


Slings, 


5,844 


Hats, .... 


9,500 


Bayonets, . . . . 


5,844 


Breeches, 


9,500 


Bayonet scabbards. 


6,000 


Leggins. 


9,500 


Cartridge belts, . 


7,750 


Shirts, .... 


8,750 


Infantry figures, . 


24,083 


Overcoats, 


10,468 


Collar and shirt brassards. 


28,929 


Hat cords. 


11,38^2 


Chevrons, 


10,693 


Rifles, .... 


5,844 


Arm brassards, 


23,846 



In addition to tlie above, 915 ponchos, 300 army rifles 
for target practice at armories, oflficers' chevrons and medical 
supplies were purchased. The expense incurred for the en- 
tire outfitting amounted to the sum of $357,565.58. 

The 1st Motor Corps and the 1st Troop of Cavalry were 
equi])ped by i)rivate subscription with everything except 
overcoats and brassards. 

Commonwealth Pier. — Many complaints had been com- 
ing in regarding the unhealthy conditions of the Connnon- 
wealth Pier and its use for Naval Reserves. This situation 
finally became serious. Inquiry revealed that the trouble 
was due to the dust-laden atmosphere of the buildings, 
brought about l)y the constant tramping of the sailors over 
the rough concrete floors. The Committee obviatied this 
difficulty by having the floors coated with a cement filler 
paint. The expense of this work, however, was assumed by 
the Navy Department. 

Aviation Field. — The Aviation Field at Squantum, a 
creation as we have seen of the Committee on Public Safety, 
and established in INIarch, was also entirely eqiiip])ed by the 
Committee, with the sole exception of the airships them- 
selves. This required 36 tents accommodating 57 cots, 
together with all the furnishings for the comfort of the men, 
and in addition a full line of medical supplies. This was 
done at the request of the Committee on Naval Affairs. 
The Aviation Field was later. May 11, 1917, taken over by 
the government. 

Emergency Hospital. — A detailed account of the work of 
the Commonwealth Militar^^ Emergency Hospital and of 



46 



the Emergency Health Committee will be given later, but it 
would perhaps be well at this stage to relate their obliga- 
tions to the Committee on Equipment and Supplies. 

In equipping the Emergency Hospital the Committee 
eventually expended the sum of $18,674.71 for hospital 
needs alone. This included iron bedsteads, mattresses, pil- 
lows, bed linens and medical supplies, etc. The Prison 
Commission endeavored, under chapter 414, General Acts 
of 1910, to have the Committee purchase from them, wher- 
ever possible, supplies that were manufactured at the State 
Prison, including mattresses, pillows, blankets, tables, etc. 
The Committee, however, taking into consideration prices 
and quality, did not consider themselves bound so to do, 
reasoning that the law had not contemplated any restraint 
on their freedom of action in case of an emergency such as 
then presented itself. The Prison Commission was conse- 
quently placed on exactly the same footing as any other 
competitor. 

Influenza Epidemic. — During the influenza epidemic, the 
Committee, at the request of the Emergency Health Com- 
mittee, purchased supplies for the latter, with a total ex- 
penditiu'c of $5,734.74. This covered everything, including 
cots, mattresses and bed linens; and in addition a long line 
of paper goods, such as napkins, plates, drinking cups, and 
containers of various kinds, besides other equipment neces- 
sary for hospital uses. 

Relations with Washington on Equipment 

In the summer of 191 G, when the Massachusetts con- 
tingent of the National Guard was at the Border, all equip- 
ment and supplies were furnished from Washington. This 
practice was supposed to continue after the troops came 
back, yet it did not always run as smoothly as might have 
been expected. The Executive Committee, therefore, found 
that it was necessary to assist, if not to prompt, the authori- 
ties at Washington, in order to hasten fitting out the 
Massachusetts troops preparatory to their being called into 

47 



the Federal service. An investigation disclosed that our 
contingent in the National Guard was short some $600,000 
worth of equipment necessary to meet the authorized peace 
strength, and substantially nuich more than that amovmt for 
authorized war strength, and, accordingly, Mr. W. B. 
Donhani and Mr. Benjamin Joy were sent to Washington 
as representatives of the Committee on Public Safety to 
discuss the whole subject of equipment. A partial success 
followed their efforts, in so far as they succeeded in acquir- 
ing some of the furnishing through the Militia Bureau of 
the War Department. But the available funds under the 
existing government appropriations were small, and the 
authorities distinctly took the position that, wherever it 
was legally possible, they desired to give to the Regular 
Army the preference in supplying both funds and equip- 
ment. The difficulty at the War Department seemed to be 
that they were not executing contracts at that time, but 
were waiting for congressional action, with the result 
that the shortage of equipment of the National Guard 
appeared likely to be a serious factor, affecting its future 
usefulness. 

After many unsuccessful efforts to persuade the govern- 
ment to order equipment directly for the Massachusetts 
National Giuird, arrangements were finally concluded under 
which contracts were to be placed with the War Depart- 
ment to the account of the Commonwealth of Massachu- 
setts, but only provided the Commonwealth would make 
itself responsible for the expenditures. 

Accordingly, at the recommendation of the Executive 
Committee, the Governor and Council, on March 28, 1917, 
permitted the necessary equipment for the Massachusetts 
National Guard troops to be acquired out of the $1,000,000 
appropriation for emergency purposes authorized by the 
Legislature, with the express stipulation that the total 
amounts so exi)ended should not exceed the sum of $750,000. 

Acting under this authority, contracts were placed in 
W^ashington by the War Department to the account of the 

48 



Commonwealth for a large amount of equipment, which 
was later delivered to the Massachusetts National Guard. 

The results, as far as obtained, were in a great measure 
due to the valuable assistance of the officers of the Militia 
Bureau in Washington, who, together with the Committee's 
representatives, worked out the plan. Subsequently, through 
Mr. Donham's efforts, the Committee was enabled to 
arrange so that the actual payment of the bills for the 
equipment as above ordered was made directly by the War 
Department, and the State was consequently never called 
upon to pay any part of the $750,000 authorized by the 
Governor and Council. 

I^argely as a result of this action by the Committee, the 
Massachusetts National Guard entered the Federal service 
quite as fully equipped as, and probably far better in most 
respects than, any other National Guard unit. The scheme 
was well conceived, ably carried out, and bore splendid 
fruit. To it must be attributed the prompt readiness for 
service of the ^Gth Division, into which our Massachusetts 
troops were subsequently merged; and also the fact that 
this Division w^as the first National Guard Division in the 
field, the first to go across seas, and the first over the top. 

Committee on Emergency Help and Equipment 

Yet in the judgment of the Executive Committee, an 
efficient local defense called not only for properly equipped 
Guards to prevent or repel attack, but that the resultant 
evil incident to any such misadventure might be quickly 
remedied. With this in view, and in order to have men, 
material and equipment ready for reconstruction work, a 
Committee on Emergency Help and Equipment was 
formed. Beginning February 24 this Committee organized 
the construction and material men of the State, so that all 
building agencies throughout the Commonwealth might be 
available for immediate service. A sub-committee was 
appointed, with Mr. Gow as chainnan, and an executive 
board, who divided the State into five geographical sections, 

49 



each under its own district chairman. Mr. E. S. Larned, a 
well-known civil engineer, was employed, at the personal 
expense of members of the sub-committee, to act as secre- 
tary and organizer, and he gave his entire thne for several 
months to the duties involved. Through his efforts and 
those of the district chairmen, every contractor and supi)lier 
of building material in the Commonwealth signed a pledge 
to furnish labor, materials and equipment, without profit, at 
the call of his district chairman. Local chairmen were 
designated for each city and larger town, in order that a 
responsible officer might l)e quickly available in localities 
where trouble arose. In addition, instructions were given 
to the local authorities, railroad companies and heads of 
commissions as to the course of procedure when action on 
their part became necessary. An exani])le of the effective- 
ness of this plan of organization took place on Saturday, 
A])ril '21, 1917, when the discovery was made at the Spring- 
field Armor}' that emery had been introduced through one 
of the grease cups on the main bearing of its chief power 
unit, with the evident purpose of ruining its mechanism. 
The officials in charge called upon the chairman of the 
Si)ringfield District for help, who within an hour had a 
force of men on hand, with blocking and hydraulic jacks, 
ready to jack U}) the flywheel and shaft and make all neces- 
sary repairs, with the result that the engine began running 
as usual on Monday morning and no time was lost. 

Fortunately, no serious emergency arose to test the full 
capacity of this organization, but the mere fact that a body 
of this character existed with an ability to quickly mobilize, 
was in itself a distinct element strengthening our defense, 
and undoubtedly acted as a check to those very evils taking 
place which the Committee was fully equipi)ed to prevent 
or repair. The Committee, however, did nmch positive and 
helpful work. It supplied tent floors and walls, with other 
emergency housing, for a detachment of the 9th Regiment 
stationed at the Watertown Arsenal; and working through 
the Aberthaw Construction Company — who for the pur- 

50 



pose took away a crew from one of its other jobs — com- 
pleted the undertaking in two days. The actual cost only 
was charged for this service, while the Watertown Lumber 
Company supplied the required lumber at a price $4 per M 
below the market price. The John Cavanaugh Building 
Moving Company hauled four city of Boston voting booths, 
at the actual expense of men and teams, from the yards of 
the Boston election board — - which loaned the property to 
the State — to Watertown, where they were used to protect 
tlie detachment stationed there against unreasonably cold 
and stormy weather. 

When it was decided to erect buildings at Squantum for 
an aviation school, the Committee arranged with the J. W. 
Bishop Company of Boston to construct the plant without 
profit or overhead charges. The firm of J. R. Worcester 
& Co. supplied the required engineering, also free of charge. 
Altogether, about $30,000 was expended in the construction 
of this school; and w^hen a little later the government took 
over the site for the erection of the Victory Destroyer 
Plant, the sub-committee succeeded in obtaining a salvage 
payment of $20,000. In the summer of 1917 the 9th Regi- 
ment was encamped at South Framingham, and being with- 
out proper sanitary arrangements or shelter in inclement 
weather, it was determined by the State authorities to sup- 
ply these deficiencies. Accordingly, an appropriation of 
$20,000 was given the Emergency Helj) and Equipment 
Committee with which to install the requisite accommoda- 
tions. Complete sewerage and water systems were put in, 
with latrines, showers, cook houses and mess hall, the fin- 
ished work costing approximately $16,000. The John F. 
Griffin Company erected the buildings. P. W. Donoghue 
installed the plumbing, charging only the expense involved, 
and Mr. James E. McLaughlin supplied all the plans and 
supervised the work without charge to the State. Among a 
few minor matters also handled by the Emergency Com- 
mittee was the salvage of a State-owned floating hangar, 
which had gone adrift in Boston Harbor during a storm, 
and had partially sunk. 

51 



Committee on Recruiting 

In the organization of this Committee the exercise of sound 
judgment with the utmost possible care was required. In 
all matters of recruiting it was essential that neither the 
birth, character nor antecedents of the would-be soldier 
should be open to the slightest suspicion. Pacifists, anar- 
chists, slackers and hyphenated Americans were not only 
ever present as bogies in the imagination of timid citizens, 
but hard-headed, practical and intelligent men were un- 
happily only too well assured of the insidious propaganda, 
disloyalty and treachery that had already been unearthed; 
while the history of Von Papen's activities, the affair of the 
Welland Canal, that of McAdam Junction, and the bomb 
exploded in the Court House, Boston, together with many 
other deviltries prompted by the "kultur" of the ubiquitous 
Hun, were still fresh in every one's mind. 

As a first step, about two hundred public-spirited men 
were chosen from all sections of the State, and from this 
number a chairman, three vice-chairmen, a secretary and 
an executive board were selected. Sub-committees, by 
counties, were appointed, each having its separate chairman, 
as follows : — 



Barii.stal)le, Dukes, Nantucket 

Bcrksliire, 

Bristol, 

Essex, . 

Franklin, 

Hampden, 

Hampshire, 

Middlesex, 

Norfolk, 

Plymouth, 

Suffolk, 

Worcester, 



Capt. C. Lawrence Barry. 
John Nicholson. 
R. C. Davis. 
James P. Plielan. 
Joseph Monette. 
John W. Haigis. 
Col. Jenness K. Dexter. 
W. H. Feiker. 
Robert O. Dal ton. 
Perry D. Thompson. 
George E. Adams. 
Charles Williamson. 
Judge Michael J. Murray. 
Herbert E. Jcnnison. 
Harry W. Smith. 



52 



This office carried with it membership on the executive 
board. The duty of the county chairmen was to strengthen 
the recruiting campaign, and produce results in each county 
by forming sub-committees in its cities and towns. Such 
appointees, however, before final installation in office, were 
required to submit their names to the Executive Committee 
on Recruiting, and by it in turn to the Executive Committee 
of the Committee on Public Safety. 

The personnel of the Executive Committee as finally 
established contained one hundred and seventy-five names. 
Mr. P. A. O'Connell, the chairman, and Mr. E. J. Sampson, 
the secretary, gave practically their entire time from 9 a.m. 
to 5.30 P.M. every day, attending to the details of the work, 
answering correspondence, and meeting the numberless visi- 
tors applying for information. 

On March 17, 1917, a meeting of the full committee 
was held at the State House, at which Gen. Leonard Wood 
addressed the members. Colonel McCoy, who was in 
charge of recruiting for the Regular Army, was also present 
and gave his views. Judge Murray and Brigadier-General 
Cole likewise spoke. The original scheme of organization 
was outlined and accepted as the most effective means of 
getting recruits. County chairmen especially, and, in fact, 
all members of the Recruiting Committee, were urged to 
acquaint themselves with the various branches of service 
desired by the government, so as to be prepared in a general 
way to answer questions or offer suggestions. 

Meetings. — Meetings of the executive board were held 
three times every week, the county chairmen coming from 
the various counties of the Commonwealth for the purpose 
of discussing the mixed problems constantly arising in each 
section, and to determine the most effective methods of 
obtaining recruits. Three meetings becoming unnecessary, 
only one a week was held; and after the organization be- 
came fully efficient, regular meetings were suspended, and 
bi-weekly reports from each county chairman were furnished 
to the state chairman. A maximum effort was made to 

53 



encourage favorable publicity, and to this end proprietors 
of the various newspapers were approached, who at once 
responded to the requests of the Committee. 

Hotels and Theatres. — It would seem that many hotels, 
restaurants and other places of public resort had a prejudice 
against admitting soldiers and sailors. This gave rise to 
much adverse criticism and occasional disorder. Thereupon 
proprietors of hotels and theatrical managers were inter- 
viewed, and impressed with the necessity of placing the 
soldier and sailor in a more favorable light before the public, 
and many of them gave their immediate and loyal co-opera- 
tion towards a better understanding. Mr. Edward Smith, 
manager of several theatres in Boston, agreed .to give pref- 
erence in choice of seats to men in uniform, and a certain 
number of exceptionally well-located seats were held by him 
on reserve, at every performance, for men in the uniform of 
the anny or navy. 

Advertising. — Many of the different schemes employed 
for advertising throughout the Commonwealth proved very 
successful, while public speaking at patriotic meetings and 
flag raisings, where young men were urged to join the colors, 
was directed through a Speakers' Bureau. Recruiting tents 
were erected at chosen localities, where addresses were 
made daily and regimental bands furnished concerts to 
attract an audience. Many parades were held during the 
day and torchlight processions by night, accompanied by 
martial music. Moving-picture theatres presented on their 
screens "America is Ready," "Boston Tea Party," "Massa- 
chusetts" and various other sketches to stimulate enlist- 
ment. A group of uniformed National Guardsmen were 
secured to travel through the Commonwealth, doing a 
sketch called "A Day in Camp." This last attracted a 
great deal of attention, as it was sometimes held in public 
parks or squares, and resulted in a very large number of 
recruits. In cities and towns, during a recruiting rally, a 
roll of honor board was set up giving the names of those 
volunteering. After the meeting a permanent board with 

54 



the recruits listed was at once located in some prominent 
part of the city. These methods were found to be most 
productive in inducing young men to volunteer. 

Posters reading "Men wanted for the National Guard 
between the ages of 18 and 30, with no dependents," were 
placed upon the dashers of all the street railway cars in the 
Commonwealth, and likewise liberally placarded in every 
section of the State, without any attendant cost. Over a 
million four-page circulars explaining the heading, "Men 
wanted to join the colors," were printed and distributed by 
merchants and county chairmen. The New England Tele- 
phone and Telegraph Company, also, sent out about one- 
quarter of a million of these circulars with their monthly 
bills. Thirty-five hundred dollars was expended for an ad- 
vertisement on the front page of nearly all the daily papers, 
entitled, "Red-blooded men wanted to serve their country." 
In some cities whole pages were inserted in the home papers 
and paid for by local committees. Church organizations, 
from one end of the Commonwealth to the other, willingly 
gave the use of their pulpits to accommodate speakers dis- 
cussing the general features of recruiting. In the smaller 
towns addresses were made from automobiles equipped for 
the purpose, and the young men of the locality urged to 
join the National Guard. Often men anxious to enlist were 
rejected as physically unfit for service, and they had nothing 
to show in evidence of their willingness and patriotism. In 
consequence, for these men, and for them only, the Com- 
mittee designed a "Willing and ready" button, both pur- 
chasing and distributing thousands thereof, their use being 
sanctioned by legislative enactment. The standing of the 
National Guard companies in the Commonwealth was daily 
forwarded by telegram to the Adjutant-General's office at 
the State House, and whenever a unit showed weakness, the 
Committee concentrated its forces to strengthen recruiting 
in that particular locality. Moreover, the Committee, 
meeting a general demand, deemed it wise to advocate 
universal compulsory training and service, and a vote was 

55 



passed calling ii])on every Chamber of Commerce or Board 
of Trade in the Coniinonwealth to urge their Rei)resentative 
in Congress to forward such legislation. 

Term of Service. — In the early part of the recruiting cam- 
paign a very serious difficulty was encountered. ]\Ien en- 
listing in the National Guard were obliged to sign for a six- 
Aear term, — three years in active service and three years 
in the reserve. This requirement frightened away valuable 
material to such an extent that the Committee made it its 
business, in conjunction with the Governor and the Execu- 
tive Conimittee, to do what it could in effecting a change, 
and to Hmit the time of enlistments to the j)eriod of war 
emergency. The result sought, though somewhat delayed, 
was finally obtained. 

Transportation. — When in the latter part of March, 1917, 
the State National Guard was called out for guard duty at 
the railroad bridges, canals, etc., the soldiers were entitled to 
40 cents a day per man for food; but inasmuch as warm 
food was to be had at the armories, the Recruiting Commit- 
tee, co-operating with the Transportation Committee, ar- 
ranged for more or less free transportation for the soldiers to 
and from their armories. It should be mentioned here that 
the Boston Elevated Railway Company and the New York, 
New Haven & Hartford Railroad showed great willingness 
and an exceptionally fine spirit in hel])ing this project 
through. 

Within XI short time enlistments exceeded in number the 
supjjly of imifonns ready at hand; yet, and mainly through 
the efforts of the Committee, this difficulty was quickly 
removed. 

Recruiting for Regular Army. — It was not long before the 
recruiting officers for the Regular Army asked the Commit- 
tee's assistance. An investigation of the methods in vogue by 
I lie Regular Army disclosed the fact that its recruiting sta- 
tions were in somewhat isolated places, and often difficult 
to find. In response to the Committee's request some of 
these were transferred to more convenient and prominent 

56 



localities, the first and distinctly most important change 
being that made to the recruiting tent on Boston Common. 

Notwithstanding much assistance was at this time given 
to the National Guard, very little was being done by 
Massachusetts for the Regidar Army. It must be borne in 
mind that there were two different classes of recruiting 
stations in the Commonwealth, — one for the Regulars, 
and another for the State National Guard. Complaints 
began to come in from the War Department that recruit- 
ing for the Federal Army was not showing the activity 
that it ought to. It was found that this condition was 
due to the fact that the National Guard of Massachusetts 
w^as very generally considered one of the finest in the 
Union, and that many young men had a decided predi- 
lection to join its ranks as against enlistment in the 
Regular Army. So strong was this feeling that when the 
former attained its full peace strength and enlistments 
w^ere stopped, many anxious to join the colors hung back, 
in order to take their chance of enlisting as Massachusetts 
National Guardsmen whenever the government permitted 
that body to be recruited to full war strength, rather than 
to enlist without further delay in the Regular Army. After 
the recruiting of the National Guard to peace strength had 
been carried through, the executive board issued general 
instructions to the members of the Committee to hold them- 
selves in readiness for whatever service their Stiite or the 
Nation might call upon them to perform. 

During this period of waiting the Committee used its 
organization to assist recruiting in the Regular Army. A 
meeting was held by the members of the various Committees 
on Recruiting and Regular Army Recruiting Officers, where 
a plan of action was inaugurated and an extensive campaign 
started. Every method found successful in the drive for 
the National Guard volunteers was put into operation over 
again, and from the Cape to the Berkshires the slogan was, 
"Join the Regular Army." Arrangements were made with 
Adjutant-General McCain at Washington to establish a 

57 



reHa))le record as to how the campaign was progressing, and 
he advised the Committee daily by telegraph of the number 
of men actually volunteering and accepted. 

President Wilson issued a proclamation naming the week 
of June 23 to 30, 1917, "recruiting week," and called upon 
all men between the ages of eighteen and forty, unmarried, 
without dependents, and not engaged in work necessary to 
the successful prosecution of the war, to join the colors. 

Civilian Help. — The Quartermaster's Reserve Corps of 
the Ignited States Anny sought to obtain at short notice 
high-grade civilian help, such as chauffeurs, mechanics, 
clerks, stenographers, overseers, cooks, teamsters, etc., and 
permission was asked of the Committee on Public Safety 
to grant the Department the privilege of working through 
its Recruiting Committee. This was given, and in two 
weeks' time sufficient numbers of men were obtained to fill 
all units asked for. 

First Liberty Loan. — Just before the First Liberty Loan 
drive the Committee felt that it could be of service to the 
Treasury Department in helping the drive. Accordingly, a 
meeting was called at the State House, attended by three 
or four hundred members of the Committee, and to whom 
an address was delivered by Mr. A. L. Aiken, Governor of 
the Federal Reserve Bank. Plans were made to assist in float- 
ing the loan, and every member of the Committee through- 
out the Commonwealth strove to make it a success. A 
very high grade of work in this connection was done by the 
county chairmen, and always with a willing spirit. 

Recruiting National Guard to Peace Streufffh. — The most 
exacting effort required of the Committee was to build up 
the National Guard. On March 1, 1916, the total number 
of men in the State available for military service was 
()07,466. By this is meant those men in the Common- 
wealth between the ages of eighteen and forty -five; and 
of this number 7,271 were mustered into the Volunteer 
Militia in response to the call of the President, June 18, 
19 10, for service on the Mexican Border. Massachusetts 

58 



was at that time asked to furnish an organization, the 
strength of which was to be 9,647 men. Of this number 
only 8,457 were secured. Among them were 1,444 who had 
dependents and who shoidd never have been accepted. 
Such was the situation prior to the formation of the Com- 
mittee on Pubhc Safety's Recruiting Committee, the 
National Guard remaining at the Border from the latter 
part of June to the early part of November, 1916. 

The first big recruiting drive started March 24, 1917, 
when the National Guard show^ed a strength of 9,171. At 
that time various National Guard units were called into the 
Federal service to guard public utilities, such as bridges, 
railways, terminals and industrial plants. The strength of 
all organizations was authorized to be increased from the 
original peace strength of the National Guard organization 
to the war strength prescribed by the National Defense Act, 
enlarging infantry companies from 65 to 100, and other 
branches correspondingly. 

In the first six days of the drive 1,191 men were enlisted 
and hundreds were placed on waiting lists. On June 30, 
1917, the enlisted strength of the Massachusetts National 
Guard was 15,749 men, so that from March 24 to June 30, 
6,578 men had volunteered and been examined and accepted 
for service. 

Recruiting National Guard to War Strength. — The Massa- 
chusetts National Guard lacked 500 men to bring it up to 
peace strength, and 6,000 to war strength. At the time we 
entered the war the War Department at Washington de- 
clared its intention to recruit the National Guard in every 
State to war strength, so that in case of emergency 500,000 
men would be available for duty. How quickly the Com- 
monwealth responded to the call is a matter of just pride 
on her part. Under the Committee's very efficient chair- 
man, Mr. P. A. O'Connell, the Massachusetts National 
Guard, in less than three days, was brought up to peace 
strength. The task then remained of recruiting to the com- 
plement necessary for war strength. 

59 



To accomplish this, sub-committees were rapidly organ- 
ized in practically every city and town. Their specific duty 
was to hold rallies, to arouse interest in recruiting, to adver- 
tise and to canvass the State. So well was this obligation 
performed that in one day over 900 men for the Massa- 
chusetts National Guard were enlisted and sworn in. At 
the time the Massachusetts National Guard became feder- 
alized, July 28, 1917, practically the entire cjuota necessary 
to bring it up to war strength had been obtained, 50*2 officers 
and 15,908 enlisted men being available for induction into 
the Federal service as against 305 officers and 10,36'2 men 
on March 30, 1917. This was due almost entirely to the 
splendid efforts which were put forth by the Recruiting 
Committee and its various sub-committees, and was the 
more creditable on account of the position taken by the 
authorities at Washington. On March 30, 1917, a telegram 
was sent to the chief of the Militia Bureau, requesting 
authority to recruit all units of the Massachusetts National 
Guard to war strength. The reply coming from the Secre- 
tary of War advised the suspension of all recruiting until 
Congress had perfected certain changes in the law, and giv- 
ing in excuse a shortage of equipment. This news was so 
discouraging that not a few men already enlisted applied 
for their discharge in order to recruit in the Regular Army 
or the Navy, causing many first-rate soldiers to be lost to 
the National Guard. 

Notwithstanding every drawback and vicissitude, and 
greatly to the credit of the Commonwealth, a wonderful 
result followed. The following figures were furnished, cor- 
rected to August 1, 1917, or to just before the first call under 
the Selective Draft Act : — 

Regular Army Volunteers in Neiv England 

Maine, 801 

New Hampsliire, 474 

Vermont, 109 

Rhode Island, 761 

Total, 2,145 

60 



Massachusetts obtained during the same period 8,335 
vohmteers for the Regular Army, or about four times as 
man}' as all the other New England States combined. 



Other Comparisons. 



State . 



Population. 



Recruits 
obtained. 



Ohio, 

Texas, 

Missouri, 

Massachusetts, 



5,150,.356 
4,429,566 
3,410,692 
3,719,1.56 



8,022 
5,882 
7,194 
8,3.35 



Massachusetts was one of seventeen of the forty-eight 
States in the Union to enlist its Regular Army quota before 
August 31, 1917, or, in other words, before the Selective 
Draft went into effect. Of the thirty-one States that did 
not so obtain their quota, fourteen were south of Mason 
and Dixon's Line. No southern State east of the Mississippi 
obtained its quota by August 1. There were but four other 
States in the Union that secured a greater number of Regu- 
lar Army volunteer recruits than Massachusetts. These 
States were New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana. 
Indiana received but 500 more than Massachusetts, and it 
must be borne in mind, in comparing Indiana with Massa- 
chusetts, that the National Guard of Indiana was less than 
one-quarter of the size of the National Guard of Massa- 
chusetts. Therefore, if we were to add the National Guard 
recruits to the Regular Army recruits, Massachusetts would 
have a very much larger number of recruits than Indiana, 
thereby placing Massachusetts fourth, — in fact, very close 
to Illinois with a population nearly double. 



61 



CHAPTER VI 

COMMITTEE ON PREVENTION OF SOCIAL EVILS 
SURROUNDING MILITARY CAMPS 

In addition to the Preparatory Committees, other com- 
mittees were subsequently formed directly or indirectly 
affecting military preparation and efficiency, which in the 
aggregate did much towards raising the standard of the Mas- 
sachusetts troops and making them the first to be ready for 
active service. Among these was the Committee on Pre- 
vention of Social Evils Surrounding Military Camps : — 

P. A. O'Connell, Chairman. 
George H. Lyman, Vice-Chairman. 
W. A. L. Bazeley, Secretary. 



Walter C. Baylies. 
Allison G. Catheron. 
J. Randolph Coolidge, Jr. 
Dr. W. R. Ellis. 
George T. Keyes. 
E. W. Longley. 
Levi H. Greenwood. 
Judge M. J. Murray. 



James J. Phelan. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
Philip Stockton. 
Ferdinand Strauss. 
Harry K. \^^nte. 
Edward J. Sampson. 
Philip W. Wrenn. 



It was some months before the members of the Executive 
Committee were ready to admit how dangerous and threat- 
ening to the public safety was the social evil, not only as a 
chief demoralizing agency, but as directly undermining the 
efficiency of the soldier. A general opinion seemed to pre- 
vail that consideration of such matters was solely within 
the province of the moralist, and should be regulated either 
by recognized State bodies or by private associations organ- 
ized for the purpose. 

On the journal of the nineteenth century, the credit page 
of the American people is overwritten with a truly wonder- 
ful record of national development. Our growth and great- 



ness as a Nation of power, of wealth, of accomplishment 
beyond dispute, no man may deny. Although our revered 
ancestors who founded the Republic strove to stamp upon 
our national character the force of their moral and religious 
conviction, they never forgot that the public weal and the 
practical side of life were closely allied. 

The professed ethics of the Pilgrim Fathers, of the Puri- 
tans, Scotch Presbyterians, French refugees and others — - 
God-fearing men, who, in part altruists, and in part shrewd, 
keen observers of human nature, gave the incentive to the 
ideal American spirit — championed to the utmost every 
moral principle. Yet these forefathers likewise recognized 
how immorality had sapped the life-blood of dynasties and 
been the scourge of enduring success. They knew full well 
that in the battle of morality against vice the supporting 
influence of practical laws was vital, and that a law not 
enforced was worse than futile; but also that it was far 
better to forestall the commission of crime than to await the 
necessity of punishing it. 

The manifest duty, therefore, of the preventive Committee 
was to remove, as far as lay within its power, this pervading 
evil — with its ofttimes precursor, drink — ■ so supremely 
dangerous to our military efficiency and to the public wel- 
fare; and to maintain and advance the soldiers' physical 
vigor and effectiveness wherever possible. The restraining 
influences to be attained by moral and religious instruc- 
tion and propaganda, absolutely essential as supporting 
agencies, were held to be more particularly the province of 
organizations formed for the purpose, and not directly 
functions for which the Committee on Prevention of Social 
Evils Surrounding Military Camps was primarily formed 
September 19, 1917. 

During the first eighteen months of the war one of the 
armies engaged had more soldiers in its hospitals incapaci- 
tated by venereal disease than from all battlefield injuries. 
Besides the loss in man power from such disability there is 
always the specter of the dreadful harm that such soldiers 

63 



are capable of inflicting on their return to civil life. Every 
home for feeble-minded children, every insane asylum, 
every hospital and almshouse, bears testimony to the awful 
toll of mental and bodily health that is exacted by venereal 
disease. From this cause sj.ring one-third to one-half of 
the cases of insanity; all cases of paresis, and probabh^ 
nearly all of locomotor ataxia; many apoplexies, paralytic 
strokes, and a large proportion of all diseases of the heart, 
blood vessels and other vital organs. 

Army authorities estimated that of young men ap]:)lying 
for enlistment prior to the war one-fifth were syphilitic. A 
foreign commission, which spent a year studying the ques- 
tion, gave as its opinion that at least one-tenth of its 
country's population was infected. In the United States, 
official estimates taken of the normal percentage of the 
whole i)opulation suffering from disease due directly or indi- 
rectly to this specific cause ranged from 8 to IG per cent. 

The experience of our troops on the Mexican Border 
brought to the attention of hygienists and physicians with 
added emphasis the gravity of the problem and the dangers 
involved. The Committee therefore realized that a far- 
reaching obligation rested upon the State to return the 
soldiers to civil life uncontaminated with any disease that 
would make them for years afterwards unfit members of the 
community. They also felt it to be of equal importance 
that the womanhood of the State should be protected in 
this respect. 

The first step taken by the Committee was to establish 
its own police force for active duty at Ayer, and in the 
towns and cities in the vicinity of Camp Devens. This 
was decided upon after it was proved that sufficient police 
j)rotection could not otherwise be secured. Therefore 
eleven men, in the service and pay of the Committee, with 
a chief in charge, were organized as a vice squad to safe- 
guard the morals and health not only of the contingent at 
Camp Devens, but also of the civilian population with 
whom the soldiers were in more or less daily contact. 

64 



It being found that there were no adequate quarters to 
be hired in Aver, the town authorities allowed the Com- 
mittee to make use of a section of the ground floor in the 
Town Hall as a detention room for women, and this cour- 
tesy was extended until the end of the war. Here the Com- 
mittee immediately proceeded to build necessary partitions, 
to install cots, and to furnish the required bed clothing, 
toilet articles, etc., for the abandoned women visiting 
Camp Devens and the surrounding towns, who, when taken 
into custody by the Committee's officers, were placed in 
charge of the matron, Mrs. Sugrue, pending trial or such 
other disposition of the charges against them as was deemed 
most advisable. 

Before any of the draft army arrived at Camp Devens 
the Committee had its headquarters well established at the 
Vicarage, and from that time on its agents were unremit- 
tingly at work either arresting or warning abandoned women 
out of the town, besides seeing to it that no disorderly 
houses were maintained in any locality adjacent to the 
encampment. But as the camp grew in numbers, so the 
problems of the Committee became more complex, and 
other quarters became necessary. Thereupon the Com- 
mittee obtained from the War Camp Community permis- 
sion to build on a piece of land where the Soldiers' Club was 
already located, and erected a portable building consisting 
of an enclosed porch 6 by I'S feet, an office 1*2 by 12, bath- 
room, passageway, and a 12 by 12 bedroom. This was 
done at a cost of $1,567.78. 

For the first several months the Committee's agents were 
appointed as constables in the various cities and towns 
surrounding the camp. This was found not to work satis- 
factorily, as it was necessary they should have much wider 
powers, so an effort was made to have them commissioned 
as State Police. This matter was taken up with Gover- 
nor McCall, and after a conference between him, Chief 
Plunkett of the State Police, and members of the Commit- 
tee, the Committee's agents were appointed as State Police 

65 



and vested with practically State-wide authority. In order 
to create still more efficient means of handling the situation, 
on June 10, 1918, Inspector Edward P. O'Halloran of the 
Newton Police Department, by which body he was loaned 
and -s'ery highly recommended, was placed by the Commit- 
tee in charge of its agents at Ayer, his service terminating 
with the war. Under his supervision a very much greater 
efficiency in handling the situation was quickly brought 
about. 

On October 3, 1917, at the request of the Committee, the 
Governor's Council made an appropriation of $10,000 for 
the purpose of keeping the environment of Camp Devens 
free from immoral women and houses. This was charged 
to the emergency appropriation of $1,000,000. 

Yet there existed no well-established body in the United 
States experienced in such matters, and to whom the Com- 
mittee could apply either for information or advice. Con- 
sequently, on September 18, Messrs. O'Connell and Bazeley, 
in behalf of the Committee, visited four of the Canadian 
cantonments, where they obtained most valuable informa- 
tion regarding the best methods to be adopted in military 
camps. 

Arriving in Ottawa they met Lieutenant-General, the 
Hon. Sir Sam Hughes, who became greatly interested in the 
purpose of their visit, as the subject was one which con- 
fronted him during his term of office as Minister of War. 
He stated as his firm conviction, and this seemed to be the 
prevailing opinion among military men in Canada, that 
venereal disease was probably the greatest remaining cause 
of military ineifectiveness due to sickness, and should be 
rigidly controlled both in the interests of the troops and 
the public; that the question was very largely one of disci- 
pline, not only on the part of the officers commanding, but 
of the civil authorities, and that vigorous police measures 
were absolutely necessary if the soldiers were to be kept 
effective for the work they were called upon to perform; 
also that no amount of argument or preaching could or 

66 



would take the place of strict police supervision. He like- 
wise submitted the substance of a report which gave the 
very grave conditions in this respect existing overseas, omit- 
tinq', however, the names of cities, towns, units and officers. 

The first of the camps visited was a small location called 
Rockville, just outside of Ottawa. This camp, impossible 
to enter without a permit, had about 600 men training for 
the Signal Corps, and the entire neighborhood was patrolled 
by guards. The number of men infected were compara- 
tively few. 

The next place called at was Camp Pettawawa, about 
one hundred and twenty-five miles from Ottawa. This 
location was about one hundred square miles in area, with 
its only approach over a bridge on which a guard was posted 
who let no one pass w^ithout a permit. Here the number of 
infected men was something less than 50 out of a grand 
total of 3,000. Substantially all of these infections were 
the result of leaves of absence spent in Montreal, Ottawa, 
Toronto and other large cities. The nearest town, Pem- 
broke, about thirteen and one-half miles away and not 
easily reached, was reasonably clear of prostitutes and 
houses of ill fame. 

The conditions at Camp Borden, Ontario, located about 
seventy miles from Toronto, were next examined. This 
camp, like Camp Pettawawa, was isolated, the nearest town 
being about eight miles distant and having a population of 
somewhat less than 5,000. At this cantonment the Com- 
mittee's representatives met General Logge who was in 
command, the various officers of his staff, and also the 
assistant director of the medical staff. Here, again, a per- 
mit was necessary for admission, and, moreover, there was 
no local problem to deal with. 

In no Canadian camp were men allowed to leave at night 
without showing a pass, and this was seldom given; but a 
very serious danger developed in all these camps through 
the leaves of absence granted to about 10 per cent of the 
soldiers at a time, generally beginning at the week end and 

67 



covering a period of two or three days. When these men 
visited Toronto or the other large cities very many of them 
returned infected. It was said that, at the INIilitary Base 
Hospital stationed in Toronto, the average number of 
soldiers under treatment as a result of venereal disease was 
about 150. 

The Committee next went to Camp Valcartier, situated 
about seventeen miles from Quebec. This was isolated 
somewhat in the same way as the other camps, with no 
means of reaching it except by a single sentry-guarded high- 
way. This cantonment covered about thirty-five square 
miles and was reasonably free from outside influences. Out 
of a contingent of about 3,000 men there were but 48 in the 
hospital who were infected. The problem here was exactly 
like that of the other camps visited, the infection being 
almost universally brought back by men who had visited 
cities on leave of absence. 

General Logge stated that nothing but strong police 
measures would ever be effective in preventing the evil in 
question, and that a provost guard, co-operating with the 
civil authorities, who would not pennit any one to enter a 
given zone as established by the military and civil authori- 
ties, was absolutely essential if camp visitors were to be 
kept away. This, of course, could be done very easily at 
the more segregated Canadian camps, — as was also the 
case at Westfield, Mass., — but the problem at Ayer was 
much more difficult, owing to the fact that the public high- 
way passed directly along side of the camp, and it was 
doubtful if it coidd be legally closed to travel. 

The problem of Canada was so different from what con- 
fronted Massachusetts that it was not easy to apply a com- 
parison. What our interests demanded was, first, more 
stringent laws, and then the co-operation of the civil author- 
ities with the officers in command at the camps in enforcing 
them. When, as at Camp Devens, soldiers were permitted 
to leave the cantonment every night, and visitors to enter 
during the daytime, Sundays included, and up to 10 p.m., 

68 



it would always remain extremely difficult to handle the 
situation. The Committee also judged it absolutely neces- 
sary that a provost guard of sufficient strength be estab- 
lished outside of all camps, which should work in conjunc- 
tion with local and District Police; and in the case of Ayer 
as many as 100 men, preferably non-commissioned officers, 
would be necessary. The experience of the military au- 
thorities in Canada proved that the non-com. was more 
effective in handling the situation than the commissioned 
officer. He was less apt to make allowances or to accept 
excuses, and therefore held the soldier right up to the letter 
of the law. He took nothing whatsoever for granted. 

When Secretary of War Baker visited Boston, October 4, 
1917, the Connnittee had a conference with him respecting 
its work and its needs, and at the Secretary's suggestion, 
Mr. O'Connell, on October 18, went to Washington and 
conferred with Mr. Fosdick, chairman of the Committee on 
Training Camp Activities, and with the Surgeon-General's 
office, rehearsing suggestions he had made to the Secretary. 
Several of these were adopted and put into effect, including 
especially : — 

1. Provision for a provost guard around Camp Devens. 

2. Compulsory prophylactic treatment, with established and well- 
equipped stations therefor in Ayer. 

3. Examinations of privates for venereal diseases every two weeks. 

4. Limiting passes from the camp. 

5. Forbidding women to enter the camp after sundown. 

This last was most important, as women in large numbers 
were being permitted to enter the camp at practically all 
hours of the night, some remaining all night. 

6. A social case sheet, in the interest of the mihtary and local authori- 
ties and the Committee. 

This sheet, or questionnaire, registered the patient's 
name, rank, regimental number, unit, date of exposure, 
source of infection, woman's name and address where 

69 



possible, and whether the use of liquor entered into the 
matter in any way. It proved a decided help to both the 
military and local authorities as well as to the Committee. 

After these steps had been taken, the next was to locate 
the contaminating woman who had caused the mischief, 
and see what could be done to remove her to some place 
where she might receive treatment. This had to be 
brought about entirely by moral suasion, as there was 
no law to warrant an arrest in such cases. It was soon 
found, however, that the women, mostly young girls, were 
generally amenable to reason, and perfectly willing to sub- 
mit to medical treatment. The Committee had many cases 
of this character, where the woman was induced to take the 
prescribed treatment and to that end visit a doctor every 
week. In the very few instances where she failed so to do 
the Committee was advised of the fact by the physician in 
attendance, and she was immediately sought for. 

The first duty of the Committee, and the real purpose of 
its formation, was held to be the prevention of crime. Pun- 
ishment was only an incident thereto. In order to sys- 
tematically police the district, special and constant atten- 
tion was necessary in the vicinity of the railroad stations, 
together with a patrol of the squares and other places of 
gathering; in short, a maximum effort was expended in 
establishing methods which made plain to undesirables that 
their presence in the locality of a camp would not be toler- 
ated. The hotels, also, within a large radius, were regu- 
larly visited, and the guest records inspected to ascertain 
whether or no people not married had registered as man and 
wife. By this means many couples, soldiers with women, 
were arrested at the various hotels, and from thence taken 
to court and tried, a large number of the women being 
sent away and their companions summoned before military 
tribunals. 

At the time the 76th Division was awaiting orders to 
move, relatives and friends of the soldiers Crowded to the 
camp to bid them good-by. Hotels were taxed to their 

70 



capacity, and accommodations for transients became a 
serious problem. Landlords reaped an enormous harvest, 
and, as the demand for rooms increased, they raised their 
prices in some instances to four times the normal figure. 
This made it more difficult to control the situation in and 
about Ayer, and the outlook became for a while very seri- 
ous. August and September brought a still further increase 
of camp visitors, thereby necessitating additional men on 
the Committee's force. Moreover, the authorities in neigh- 
boring districts, began to apply to the Committee for help 
in enforcing the law in their respective localities. It there- 
fore became more than ever necessary to institute prosecu- 
tions that order might be preserved, and in no instance did 
the lawbreaker escape punishment when brought before the 
courts. 

Train inspection was another arduous and exacting func- 
tion of the Committee, but resulted in the apprehension of 
many undesirable men and women in addition to runaway 
boys and girls. In cases affecting these last, the parents 
were in every instance notified and the children returned to 
their homes, in some instances hundreds of miles distant. 

In November, 1917, a stereomotorgraph machine was 
purchased for use at Camp Devens, which the Commit- 
tee loaned from time to time to the different Y. M. C. A. 
huts. A lecturer in charge explained and supplemented 
the pictures, which illustrated more particidarly the evils 
resulting from drink and immoral women. Officials, both 
military and civilian, constantly witnessed these exhibitions 
and were invariably enthusiastic in their praise. 

Because of reports of women soliciting on the streets in 
cities near to military posts, investigations were made to 
learn the true status of affairs. By this means strong co- 
operating evidence was secured. The attention of the local 
authorities was then called to the existing conditions and 
remedial measures proposed to suppress the nuisance, all of 
which were carried out very successfully. 

Motion-picture performances within easy access to the 

71 



camp were censored, and a thorough inspection made of 
amusement parks. It sometimes became necessary to en- 
tirely suppress certain of these shows and theatrical per- 
formances. 

Appreciation of the fact that the spread of venereal 
disease was not only impairing the efficiency of the soldier 
but was of real assistance to the enemy made the men in the 
service of the Committee very vigilant. Nor was the hab- 
itat of the women involved in any wise confined to Massa- 
chusetts, New England or the East. Women from twenty- 
six States of the Union, and from almost every Province of 
Canada, were included in the list of the many unfortunate 
ones who flocked to the camp zone and were investigated 
by the agents. Each case was carefully examined, and the 
various reasons noted that the ofl^ender offered in excuse. 
The predominating influences which led to the fall of these 
wom.en were found to be either lack of education, poor 
home surroundings, the lure of the uniform, the effects of 
divorce, or a combination of one or more of these causes. 
None of the women dealt with proved to be feeble-minded; 
two stated that they were victims of white slavers, though 
investigation showed their claim to be groundless. Many 
himdreds of cases were investigated and the delinquents 
cared for without any publicity being given. 

Innumerable illustrations of specific cases, many of them 
inexplicable, repulsive and often heartrending, might be 
given were it considered advisable to do so. Although, as 
a general rule, the women investigated comprehended 
every grade, they belonged mostly to an amateur or clan- 
destine rather than to a professional class of prostitutes, 
and on that account were the more difficult to apprehend 
or deal with. Most of them were mere girls; some under 
fifteen years of age, many of them under twenty, and few 
reaching thirty. Camp Devens suffered a temporary visita- 
tion of moral obliquity similar in character to what has 
always been noticeable in periods of continued public ex- 
citement, and especially in time of war. 

72 



A large percentage of the women arrested were sent to 
Sherborn Prison; others were given from three to six 
months in the county jail. Still others, when proved to be 
infected with venereal disease, were ordered to some insti- 
tution for a fixed period of time, or until they were cured. 
Many cases were disposed of without prosecution, some of 
the younger girls being sent to the House of the Good 
Shepherd, an institution always willing to take charge of 
wayward girls. Some were returned to their parents, and 
others ordered out of town and told that if they returned 
they would be arrested and put away. An army officer of 
high rank, who had officially inspected all the major canton- 
ments in the United States and Canada, after a thorough 
observation of the conditions surrounding Camp Devens, 
stated that it was positively the cleanest camp on the 
continent. 

The experience of all nations, at all times, has proved 
that venereal disease inevitably follows in the wake of im- 
morality, and that drink is more often than not the initial 
cause of both. The Committee's squad of oflScers, co- 
operating with the provost guard. State Police, Federal 
authorities, mayors and selectmen of cities and towns, and 
sub-committees on Public Safety in localities surrounding 
Camp Devens, did yeoman service in suppressing the sale 
of liquor to soldiers. 

On January 31, 1918, the Committee began a vigorous 
campaign in Ayer against issuing licenses, and a letter was 
written to the pastors of all the churches asking them to 
read the same from their pulpits. In this letter it was 
pointed out how a successful termination of the war was 
vastly important to every American citizen; that there was 
no man or woman in the United States — whether father, 
mother, brother, sister, wife or sweetheart — who was not 
vitally interested in the well-being of the young American 
then training at Camp Devens; and that it was unthink- 
able for any citizen to carelessly allow temptation to be 
strewn in their paths. It was explained how Camp Devens 

73 



had the distinction of being the cleanest cantonment, mor- 
ally, in the country, and that it behooved every patriotic 
citizen to see to it that the observance of law and order 
was strictly maintained there at its present high standard; 
also that assistance be given to the police in the prevention 
of those evils which invariably gather about concentration 
and mobilization camps when liquor is sold in the vicinity. 

It was further pointed out that seldom did an environ- 
ment have so serious a responsibility put upon its shoulders, 
and that it was a matter most vitally related to military 
efficiency, and ultimately to the cause of Democracy, to 
have all communities in the neighborhood of the canton- 
ment made safe for the soldier. 

It was also shown how, in Europe, the authorities had 
delayed so long before making any real attempt to solve 
this problem in its relation to their soldiers that by the end 
of the first year and a half of the war they found the strength 
and efficiency of their armies undermined and in danger of 
wasting away as a result of intemperance and its inevitable 
drift to social evil. The result was that Ayer went no 
license, as did also Pepperell, which previously had issued 
licenses to sell liquor, and where a similar campaign had 
been started by the Committee. 

In October, 1917, prompted by reports continually com- 
ing in that soldiers returning to camp were under the influ- 
ence of liquor purchased by them in Lowell, the Committee 
visited that city for the first time, and after investigation 
called the attention of its police to certain men who were 
engaged in the business of either directly or indirectly pro- 
curing liquor for soldiers. Three of these men were ar- 
rested and turned over to the city police. A few days 
later Mayor O'Donnell appointed the Committee's agents 
as special police officers in Lowell, who visited the city 
regularly every week thereafter and secured the arrest and 
conviction of a large number of men engaged in the illegal 
sale of liquor. Tliey also unearthed a certain pernicious 
resort where drugged liquor was sold to soldiers, who when 

74 



under its influence were robbed of their possessions. The 
proprietor was tried, found guilty and sentenced. 

The Lowell police were also given the names of a large 
number of women who were in the habit of frequenting 
Camp Devens. Some of these were arrested and con- 
victed; some were driven out of town; others were warned 
to keep off the streets. 

All offenders arrested for aiding and abetting the sale of 
liquor to soldiers were brought to trial before the Federal 
court, Boston, where most of them were convicted and sen- 
tenced to six months' hard labor; others were given sus- 
pended sentences. 

Inasmuch as the Committee had no official status within 
the boundaries of the cantonment, the attention of the 
military authorities was directed to places where the camp 
was left unguarded, and where it was possible for unscru- 
pulous men and women to enter and ply their respective 
trades. All such suggestions were courteously received and 
almost invariably acted upon by the provost guard, who 
materially assisted in taking liquor away from the soldiers. 
For example, one Saturday night over forty pints were 
confiscated at the camp gate. Pint flasks were frequently 
found slipped down the back of a man's neck hung by a 
cord, and all manner of ingenious devices were employed 
to conceal the liquor and smuggle it into camp. Again, a 
portion of the cantonment not far from Shirley was left 
unprotected, where soldiers under the influence of drink 
were in the habit of getting back to camp. It was found 
that they procured liquor in Clinton. Accompanied by 
four men of the provost guard, the Committee's agents 
went to Clinton and arrested seven soldiers and three 
civilians. The latter were each of them fined. The soldiers 
were brought back to camp, and there tried by court mar- 
tial. A large quantity of liquor secured in this town was 
turned over to the Ordnance Department. The chief of 
police and the citizens of Clinton showed a deep apprecia- 
tion for this and other assistance given them in cleaning 



up the town. They even went so far as to arrange quarters 
in the annory, in order that the Committee's agents might 
have an assured place where they could remain over night 
if they so desired. 

In the zone surrounding Camp Devens the use of alcohol 
was by itself, and independent of the social question, a 
most dangerous evil. The Committee, however, with the 
assistance of the provost guard, maintained such an effective 
watch for signs of illegal liquor traffic that "boot-leggers" 
and "pocket peddlers" were unable to ply even their nor- 
mal trade in the vicinity. 

On November 11 the notorious Parmenter resort, at 
Lunenberg, was raided. Here the proprietor had been ille- 
gally selling liquor for over sixteen years, and during all 
that time had been arrested and fined but once. He carried 
on an extensive trade, selling intoxicants to both soldiers 
and civilians. The agents raided his place, arrested him, 
and brought him into the Fitchburg court, where he was 
sentenced to the house of correction and fined $100. The 
Committee had his wife and three children also brought 
into Court and placed under the care of the State Board of 
Charity. Complaints covering Townsend, Shirley, Leomin- 
ster, Fitchburg, Harvard, Littleton and Westborough were 
likewise investigated by the Committee. 

To give one instance of the variety of functions the Com- 
mittee was called upon to perform, the military authorities 
at Camp Devens asked an investigation to be made regard- 
ing the loss of thirteen hundred pounds of sugar and five 
tubs of butter which had mysteriously disappeared from the 
quartermaster's stores. The butter and sugar were traced 
to a baker in Ayer, to whom they had been sold. After 
working on the case for more than a week, the agents dis- 
covered that the thief was connected with the Quarter- 
master's Department, and was identified by the purchaser 
of the goods as the man who sold them. On the evidence 
obtained the military authorities placed him under arrest. 

One of the more difficult problems to contend against was 

76 



the sale of drugs to the soldiers. The use of drugs was not 
only in itself detrimental to safety and efficiency, but was 
often the forerunner and inciting cause of immorality. In- 
formation came that some of the soldiers at Camp Devens 
were addicted to this habit, and it was found that much of 
the dope was being sent from Maine, New Hampshire and 
Vermont. An investigation disclosed that a Maine doctor 
was selling such drugs in very large quantities, and after 
careful investigation evidence positively incriminating was 
found against him. This doctor had sold, in Haverhill, to 
one man alone, 3,390 grains of morphine. His case, how- 
ever, comprehended so many ramifications beyond the 
scope of the Committee's powers, extending even to China 
and India, that the whole subject was finally submitted to 
the Federal authorities. Others plying a dope trade at 
Devens were arrested, convicted and sentenced. A drug 
addict from Camp Devens told the agents that his mother 
kept a house of prostitution, giving them the street and 
number in Albany, N. Y., where she also sold and adminis- 
tered dope to men and women. This case was also turned 
over to the Federal authorities, who eventually had the 
house closed up. 

One of the dope addicts conferred with at Camp Devens, 
who admitted having used drugs for about four years, 
stated that after the Harrison law went into effect he and a 
number of his friends went to the State hospital for treat- 
ment, but after staying, there some time left the institution 
without being cured. They were then informed that a cer- 
tain physician in New Haven was avithorized as a Federal 
official to give prescriptions for a certain amount of dope, 
and that the patient by using thereafter a regularly dimin- 
ishing quantity would eventually be cured of the habit. 
Accordingly, they put themselves under his care, receiving 
at first 8 to 10 grains a day. This was gradually dimin- 
ished until the dose was supposed to be reduced to about 2 
grains. When this point was reached the amount was gen- 
erally increased up to 10 grains. By this method the doctor 

77 



slyly cultivated the appetites of nearly a hundred men and 
from thirty to forty girls, — a vicious, if unfortunate, gang, 
who were known to their neighborhood as the "coke fiends." 
This fakir was su]:)posed to have had at one time fifty such 
patients under his charge. The disposal of his case was 
also put into the hands of the Federal authorities. 

In the early stages of the Committee's activities at Ayer 
a great deal of anxiety arose when it was discovered that 
rural perverts were having access to the camp. These were 
tracked, ordered out of town, and told they would be ar- 
rested if they ever put in an appearance again. That was 
the last heard of them. 

Keepers of lodging houses in Ayer were notified regarding 
the character of some of their lodgers, and the street cars 
and all jitneys were carefully watched to see if any un- 
desirables were coming into town by these methods of con- 
veyance. 

The Anderson Show Company came to Ayer with its 
outfit. In the opinion of the Committee the performance 
given was very undesirable, and constituted a menace to 
the morals not only of the soldiers but of the community. 
Two of the young women who were connected with the 
concern were arrested and brought to the detention room. 
One of them was a girl sixteen years of age, a runaway 
from her home in Lowell. The Lowell police were tele- 
phoned to, who found there was no court record against 
her, and the next day she was returned to her parents. The 
other woman was married, was from New York, and had 
two children. She was given pennission to return to her 
home, which she did. 

When tlie proprietor of the show company was informed 
that such a ])erformance as he offered would not be tolerated 
in the neighborhood of the camp, he packed up and quietly 
stole away, although given permission by the board of 
selectmen to remain for a period of two weeks. 

During the Committee's activities it felt itself especially 
indebted to the clergymen of every denomination with 

78 



whom its agents came in contact and to whom they ap- 
pealed, whether civic or miHtary; to the commanding 
officers of divisions and regiments; and to the United 
States and Massachusetts health authorities. One and all 
proved their interest by a ready and hearty co-operation in 
the work. 

Between June 8 and October 25, 1918, the Committee 
brought a total of fifty cases before the courts, including 
the folio w^ing charges: neglect of children, drunkenness, 
adultery, idle and disorderly, fornication, lewdness, furnish- 
ing liquor to soldiers, and polygamy. In addition, a total 
of seventy-five cases against delinquent women were dis- 
posed of, without prosecution, covering similar charges to 
the above, and others relating to lost persons, runaways, 
wanderers, destitutes and illegitimate children. 



79 



CHAPTER VII 

INTELLIGENCE WORK AND GERMAN PROPAGANDA 
IN RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS 

In March, 1917, Mr. Storrow appointed Mr. Lyman, of the 
Executive Committee, to act as its representative in dealing 
with all communications coming within the general scope 
of secret service work. Some eighty odd cases were looked 
into, investigations being in the main conducted through 
ofRcers of the Federal and civil government legally ap- 
pointed for such purposes, the Committee's representative 
acting chiefly as a medium through which complaints were 
transferred to the proper authorities. The inadvisability of 
relieving the monotony of this chronicle, despite the tempta- 
tion to do so, by relating the outcome of these investigations 
and the many adventurous details connected therewith, how- 
ever regrettable, will be readily appreciated. It must be 
borne in mind that many of the cases which were taken up 
may not be closed for a long time to come; that most of 
them dealt with treacherous doings subversive to the public 
weal; that practically all of them were traceable directly 
or indirectly to Gennan sources; and that the threads of 
one case were often closely interwoven with those of another. 
To publish the details of an investigation already completed 
might be distinctly undesirable, as well likely to imperil the 
secrecy necessary to be observed in cases as yet unfinished. 

The inquiries made were supported by special a])i7ropria- 
tions to different organizations, and, in part, also by ])rivate 
subscription. In this connection it might be stated that 
the general tenn "secret service," in its relation to investi- 
gations of espionage, treason, slackers, bombers, etc., was 
not a single organization under one controlling influence, 
nor was it confined to any State, city or other given lo- 
cality. It comprehended army, navy. United States Treas- 

80 



iiry, Department of Justice, and other Federal as well as 
various State bureaus. In fact, there were said to be nine 
national besides innumerable city and town organizations, 
without including volunteers and self-appointed sleuths act- 
ing independently, — each agency more mysterious than the 
other, and all engaged in a field of work where distrust was 
necessary to competence, and rivalry a prevailing stimu- 
lant. 

In the spring of 1918 the Treasury Department at Wash- 
ington urged the Committee on Public Safety to organize 
a special branch of the American Protective League in 
Massachusetts. This the Executive Committee, on motion 
of Mr. Endicott, authorized under the title of the Massa- 
chusetts Auxiliary of the Department of Justice, and the 
following Committee was appointed, with power to add 
additional names: — 



C. F. Choate, Jr. 
S. H. Wolcott. 
W. R. Peabody. 
Hugh Bancroft. 



George H. Lyman. 
C. G. Bancroft. 
John F. Perkins. 
J. H. Bea], Jr. 



This organization, extending throughout the whole State 
and with an enrollment of nearly six hundred members, 
commenced its work about May 1, 1918, closing February 
1, 1919. In the neighborhood of 5,000 cases were investi- 
gated, besides 4,000 relating especially to slackers, — a 
total of 9,000. In addition, 600 draft evaders were in- 
ducted into the anny between July 1, 1918, and the signing 
of the armistice. There were also twenty-five convictions 
obtained for filing false answers to ciuestionnaires, and 
seventy -five under the Webb-Kenyon Act. 

The activities of the Committee involved an expenditure 
of $11,000. Of this amount $10,000 was appropriated by 
the Committee on Public Safety, and the balance raised by 
private subscription. 

In the sunnner of 1918 it became evident that German 
propaganda was moving in a new direction. The end of the 

81 



war was nearer than any one anticipated. It was apparent 
that Germany could not possibly win, and that she was 
beginning to make approaches for a negotiated peace. 
Word was received from secret service sources that German 
money was being used determinedly among religious organ- 
izations and women's clubs. The object in view was very 
evident; it was to w^ork on people's sentiment, and to 
suggest the uselessness of continued fighting. The sym- 
pathies were appealed to, and the whole effort appeared to 
be gathering considerable headway. 

To offset this pernicious propaganda the Rev. Paul 
Revere Frothingham was requested by ]Mr. Endicott to get 
in touch, so far as possible, with various organizations 
throughout the State and warn them of what was going on; 
to put them in possession of the facts, and to urge them to 
secure speakers who would take the opposite point of view. 
This was done with marked success. Mr. Frothingham 
wrote to hundreds of organizations which were accustomed 
to hold regular meetings in the course of their season's 
work, and also to the secretaries of lodges and fraternal 
organizations. The forums in various centers were also 
a})p roach ed, and the promise given of cordial co-operation. 
A great meeting was organized on Boston Common, where 
Ex-President Taft spoke most forcibly to about 10,000 
people on the need of "fighting to a finish." This work 
covered a great deal of ground and was carried through 
successfully by Mr. Frothingham alone. 



82 



CHAPTER VIII 

SPECIAL COMMITTEE WORK 

Military Organization Schools 

The Committee also materially assisted in organizing a 
school for trench warfare at Framingham. This was the 
first institution of its kind installed in the United States, 
and was conducted by specially selected officers who had 
seen service in the British Army. The course of instruction 
included lessons in trench warfare, real trenches being dug 
and genuine hand grenades used. Courses also were given 
in the theory and practice of gas, attacking defense, the 
use of the machine gun, bayonet attack and the defense of 
trench, and every officer was ordered to report at the school 
for one week's continuous service night and day. When 
our government refused to ask the Canadian authorities to 
furnish instruction for our training camps, Adjutant-General 
Sweetser went to Canada and secured the services of several 
experienced teachers, who later, the Canadian government 
following our example, were summoned back to conduct 
similar schools at home. Again, another school was estab- 
lished at the Wakefield Rifle Range, to give to departmental, 
infantry, cavalry and staff corps officers instruction in tar- 
get practice. 

Liberty Bonds 

In the first Liberty Loan Campaign Adjutant-General 
Sweetser, at the instigation of the Committee on Public 
Safety, organized a drive among the Massachusetts National 
Guard for subscriptions, with the slogan, "A gun and a 
bond." On June 11 circulars were sent to all Massachu- 
setts National Guard organizations, and posters were 
adopted and distributed to every company armory. The 
response to this appeal was prompt and most encouraging. 
On July 3 the report rendered by the Old Colony Trust 

83 



Company — who immediately on request had undertaken 
to underwrite all subscriptions made to the loan by the 
National Guard — gave the total number of bonds sub- 
scribed for as 8,779, their face value amounting to $438,950. 
This sum was accredited to the different Massachusetts 
National Guard organizations, as follows: — 





Bonds 


Amount 


Massachusetts Coast Artillery, 


1,100 


S55,000 


2d Regiment Infantry, 














347 


17,350 


5th Regiment Infantry, 














999 


49,950 


6th Regiment Infantry, 














1,297 


64,850 


8th Regiment Infantry, 














1,232 


61,600 


9th Regiment Infantry, 














710 


35,500 


1st Corps Cadets, 














834 


41,700 


1st Regiment Field Artillery, . 














867 


43,350 


2d Regiment Field Artillery, 














591 


29,550 


1st Separate Squadron Cavalry, 














163 


8,150 


1st Battalion Signal Troops, 














251 


12,550 


1st Field Hospital Company, 














116 


5,800 


2d Field Hospital Company, 














74 


3,700 


1st Ambulance Company, . 














93 


4,650 


2d Ambulance Company, . 














105 


5,250 
















8,779 


$438,950 



It would seem very significant that on the second issue 
of Liberty Bonds the United States government, following 
closely the lead of Massachusetts, sought to interest the 
soldier here and abroad in their purchase. 

Volunteer Dental Committee 

The Committee on Public Safety was in receipt of data 
from England, showing that dental troubles were the fore- 
runners of a great deal of sickness among the Allied troops, 
and that much time was lost to the service through illness 
directly traceable to impaired teeth. A dental examina- 
tion made at Framingham, prior to the Massachusetts 



84 



troops being sent to the Mexican Border, established the 
fact that, collectively, the soldiers' teeth were in poor shape. 
It was apparent, therefore, that if a like condition still pre- 
vailed and was not attended to, the general health of the 
men, and in consequence their military eflSciency, would be 
seriously affected. Therefore the Executive Committee 
promptly organized a volunteer Dental Committee, headed 
by Dr. George H. Payne, secretary of the State Board of 
Dental Examiners, which eventually mobilized a force of 
volunteer dentists throughout the State. 

In the meantime, April 1, 1917, the Governor and Coun- 
cil authorized the purchase of $9,000 worth of dental ap- 
paratus. By this means a dental chair, instruments and 
medicines were supplied to every armory in the Common- 
wealth, the end sought being to put the teeth of all Massa- 
chusetts National Guardsmen in such good repair that none 
of them would require further dentistry for a period of two 
years. 

How wide was the scope of this plan is shown by the 
fact that in Boston alone — where the work was done at 
the Harvard and Tufts Dental schools, the Forsyth Dental 
Infirmary, and a number of private offices — a total of 
3,000 operations were performed on the teeth of members 
of the Massachusetts National Guard, It was estimated 
that the cost of these services, if paid for by the soldiers 
themselves, would have reached approximately $100,000, 
and yet the Committee calculated that only about one- 
tenth of the work necessary to be done on the teeth of the 
Massachusetts National Guard had been attended to. 
Subsequently, and before that body became federalized, 
practically 60 per cent of the dentistry required was ac- 
complished through the efforts of the Committee. 

Chiropodist Preparedness Committee 

At a meeting of the Massachusetts Chiropodist Associa- 
tion held February 13, 1917, a resolution was passed offer- 
ing "the services of its members for the gratuitous treat- 

85 



ment of such foot troubles as come within the scope of 
chiropody" to the National Guard of Massachusetts in the 
event of its mobilization. Copies of this resolution were 
sent to the Governor and to the Adjutant-General, and 
upon April 2, 1917, the organization of the Chiropodist 
Preparedness Committee was effected. Within a few days 
its services were offered to the Committee on Public Safety 
and accepted. 

Plans already formulated were promptly carried out, and 
the various National Guard units were visited by repre- 
sentatives of the Committee. The feet of all the guards- 
men were examined, and each man given a card stating the 
name and address of a chiropodist who would treat the 
holder upon a date stated. From that time on until the 
end of the war all enlisted men in uniform received on appli- 
cation free treatment at the offices of members of the Com- 
mittee. Upon completion of each treatment a record card 
was filled out stating diagnosis, the service rendered, etc., 
and forwarded to the secretary of the Committee. Of these 
cards 1,468 were returned to the secretary, and at least 
that number of men were taken care of, many receiving 
several treatments. Owing to -the fact that some chiropo- 
dists neglected to return their cards, the full list of men 
treated must have been considerably in excess of the above 
figures. Moreover, whenever it was difficult for the guards- 
men to report at the offices of the chiropodists the latter 
visited the camps, where the necessary service was rendered 
and no record kept. 

The Middlesex College of Chiropody in East Cambridge 
co-operated with the Committee by offering its staff of 
clinicians with full equipment to give free treatment, espe- 
cially for men in the different branches of the navy. A 
large number from the Naval Radio School at Harvard 
were thus taken care of. 

Members of the Committee visited Camp Devens on 
several occasions immediately following the arrival of the 
first draftees, and treated over 1,600 men. This service 

86 



was discontinued only when camp routine made it imprac- 
ticable to arrange for the work at mutually convenient 
times. 

At the request of Brigadier-General Dickson, members of 
the Committee visited the Watertown Arsenal four separate 
times, where they examined the feet of the men belonging 
to the Ordnance Department and to the two companies of 
artillery there stationed as guards, giving their services 
gratuitously to over 200 men. 

General expenses incident to the organization and opera- 
tion of the Committee were met by contributions from its 
members. Expenses of the actual work, including material, 
traveling charges, etc., were borne in every case by the 
individual chiropodist performing the service. 

The experience of the Committee emphasized strongly 
the absolute need of a chiropodist in all military organiza- 
tions, a necessity which is recognized in the armies of other 
nations and provided for, but which has yet to be met by 
the United States authorities. The Marine Corps, how- 
ever, showed its foresightedness in providing its contingents 
with chiropodists having the highest non-commissioned 
rating. 

The work of this Committee was of very great importance, 
as the condition of the soldiers' feet proved a vital element 
in their efficiency for service. 

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Unit 

Early in May the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, having 
been urged to send a hospital unit to France, asked the 
Committee on Public Safety for its assistance in getting the 
unit ready. This call was wholly unexpected, and required 
the most prompt action in order to assemble the men and 
the required outfit in time. By vote of the Committee 
$5,000 was placed at the disposal of the unit, to be expended 
on its equipment and to meet other incidental expenses 
connected with its departure from Boston. In addition to 
this financial help the Committee furnished motor cars to 

87 



assist the contingent while preparing to sail, and for several 
days fed and lodged the thirty-seven men forming its per- 
sonnel. This made it possible for all arrangements to be 
completed within a week's tune, and in consequence the 
Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Unit was the first body of 
medical men from Massachusetts to go overseas after our 
entrance into the war. 

Radio School 

When the United States became a combatant, Mr. 
Arthur Batcheller, United States Radio Inspector in charge 
of the New England District, with the approval of the 
Secretary of Commerce, undertook the instruction of a 
class of forty men — the full capacity of his quarters at 
the Boston Custom House — for a course in code and 
theory in radio-telegraphy, from June 21 to December 31, 
1917. Early in 1918 it became evident that thousands of 
radio operators would be required for the military and naval 
service, and schools were established throughout the coun- 
try to meet the urgent demand for men sufficiently qualified 
in radio code to answer the immediate purpose, even if 
they lacked full technical training. It was therefore sug- 
gested that the school at the Custom House be conducted 
elsewhere and on a larger basis, provided suitable quarters 
could be secured. By this means it was hoped hundreds 
could be trained at one time.. 

There being no appropriation by the Department of 
Commerce for the purpose, Hon. Edmund Billings, col- 
lector of the port of Boston, recommended the project to 
the Committee on Public Safety. Through the co-opera- 
tion of Mr. Ratshesky and Mr. Lyman, a self-constituted 
committee, the use of the headquarters of the INIassachu- 
setts Naval Militia Armory, in the Mechanics Building, 96 
Huntington Avenue, Boston, — unoccupied by reason of 
absence of members in service, — was tendered by Adju- 
tant-General Stevens, free of any charge for rent or heating. 
These quarters accommodated 275 pupils, and were ideal 

88 



for the purpose sought. Requisition was then made on 
the Department of Commerce for the apparatus and equip- 
ment necessary for instruction. The Committee on PubUc 
Safety furnished the himber needed for tables and seats, 
and guaranteed the payment of a janitor's services, — as well 
as the expense of lighting for a period of six months, with 
the understanding that these allowances be renewed at the 
end of the prescribed time should a state of war and the 
necessity for such instruction still exist. 

The school opened on January 21, 1918, with an enroll- 
ment of 262 men. Sessions were held regularly thereafter 
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week until 
after the signing of the armistice, November 11, 1918. The 
instruction was under the direct supervision of Mr. Batch- 
eller, who brought to his assistance other qualified code 
instructors. The entire service given was voluntary. Pref- 
erence in enrollment was extended in the following order: — 

1. Men subject to Selective Service Law, Class lA. 

2. Men enlisted in army or navy awaiting call to active service. 

3. Young men eighteen years or over desiring to make advance prepara- 

tion for registration or voluntary enlistment. 

The results of the work may roughly be summarized as 
follows : — 

Total number of applications filed from January 21 to November 

25, 1918, when the school closed, 1,214 

Disqualified by lack of citizenship, physical or educational 
requirements, 133 

Discontinued for irregular attendance or voluntary with- 
drawal, 297 

430 

Students remaining in good standing, receiving instruction for 

varying periods, 784 

Entered military and naval service well qualified, . . . 530 
Sufficiently equipped for practice in service, .... 254 

784 

Total unit attendance for entire period of school, .... 12,985 

Hours of instruction represented, 25,970 

89 



Cost to Department of Commerce for equipment used, re- 
turned and still serviceable, $600 00 

Cost to Committee on Public Safety for expenses of mainte- 
nance, 1,041 31 



Total cost for the period January 21 to November -2S, 

inclusive, $1,641 31 

The radio code forms one of the most vital channels of 
communication, and the training given at this school con- 
tributed to the safety of life and vessel in military and naval 
operations, an element of value not to be considered com- 
mercially and which cannot be overestimated. 

The Committee on Public Safety assisted and made 
possible this help in the successful prosecution of the war, 
but the conception and its accomplishment must be cred- 
ited to Mr. Batcheller and his associates. 

Speakers' Bureau 

The Speakers' Bureau, in charge of Mr. A. A. Kidder, was 
one of the first departments organized by the Committee 
on Public Safety. During April and May, 1917, speakers 
were supplied for meetings all over the State at the rate 
of eight or ten a day, in the endeavor to acquaint the 
people with the aims of the Committee and to impress 
upon them the urgency demanded by the situation. Speak- 
ers were furnished for nearly 1,000 meetings, ranging in 
attendance from 25 to 5,000. 

When, later, the Food Administration was organized, the 
Bureau was enlarged, and thereafter the chief effort of the 
Committee was centered in stimulating interest in food 
production and conservation. 

The Bureau also was at all times in close co-operation with 
the managers of the Liberty Loan, Red Cross and other 
patriotic drives, and at the time of the first Liberty Loan 
devoted its entire list of speakers to assist in that cam- 
paign. To this end speakers were placed in high schools, 
at Chambers of Commerce and many other organization 
meetings, while from time to time distinguished French and 

90 



English officers, as well as American soldiers back from the 
front, were added to the force. 

Another important branch of the work was to arrange for 
and conduct meetings at various munition plants; and from 
reports received there is every reason to believe that a de- 
cided stimulus was thus given to war production. 

Unlike many speakers' bureaus throughout the country, 
the Massachusetts organization was made up entirely of 
volunteers, including several hundred of the ablest and most 
popular speakers in the State, men and women, who re- 
sponded to the Committee's call whenever time and cir- 
cumstances permitted them to do so. 

Four-minute Men 

Connected with the Speakers' Bureau were the Four- 
minute Men, suggested by the Council of National Defense 
in Washington. In June, 1918, Mr. Atherton D. Converse 
was appointed by the Executive Committee to act as chair- 
man of an organization to conduct four-minute speeches 
throughout the State, the object of which was to place 
quickly before the people authentic facts about our military 
and financial preparations towards carrying on the war. 
This organization, as later perfected, consisted of seventy- 
one chairmen and four hundred and fifty speakers. In 
addition, one hundred and fifty theatres, scattered through 
every section of the Commonwealth, agreed to allow the 
use of their platforms for just four minutes at a time in 
vaudeville and moving-picture performances. 

Massachusetts was the first State in the Union to inaugu- 
rate such a plan, and did it so quickly and efficiently that 
the Washington authorities requested the Committee on 
Public Safety to assist in forming similar bodies in other 
New England States. In response to this demand the 
chairman assisted in organizing Maine, New Hampshire, 
Vermont and Rhode Island. 

On September 13, 1918, other duties required Mr. Con- 
verse to drop the work, and Mr. Arthur J. Crockett was 
appointed in his place. 

91 



CHAPTER IX 
ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEES 

A very interesting and instructive phase of this story 
should be the hearty and never-faihng encouragement given 
at all times to the Executive Committee by every one 
connected with the organization, and their ever ready desire 
from first to last to meet its needs. 

The immediate problem confronting the Committee in the 
early stages of its existence was to build up a thoroughly 
efficient working organization; and later, to preserve, as well 
as to improve upon, the standard attained, while adapting 
it to the widening scope of the Committee's activities. 

No stronger evidence could be offered of the far-reaching 
extent of the Committee's activities, multiplying more and 
more as the work progressed, than the increasing number 
of listed workers. The volunteer personnel included two 
different types: the first embraced many who had been 
successful in business affairs, and who, from long habit, 
at first wanted to have their own way in everything and 
proposed to get it; the second was made up of those who 
had no business experience, but were tempted to act as free 
lances, endeavoring to follow out their own methods and 
ideas. Naturally all this soon happily regulated itself. 

Still another class embraced the paid working force, who 
entered the service as they would any other business em- 
ployment. This made a combination of personnel requir- 
ing a distinct settling-down process before it could develop 
into a smoothly working machine. Yet, impelled by the 
patriotic impulses of the hour, it was remarkable how 
quickly such a result was accomplished. It is also a note- 
worthy fact to how great an extent many of the employees, 
to whom the amount of salary was a very vital matter, 
loyally stayed with the organization, often working over- 

92 



time, rather than reap the advantage offered by the con- 
tinually rising wages paid by the Federal government. For 
the first six weeks the pay roll at headquarters averaged no 
more than $50 a week. But after April 6, 1917, the organ- 
ization being well established and on definite lines, with a 
foundation that assured success, and with the United States 
actually at war, the functions of the Committee became 
vastly extended, requiring a corresponding increase in the 
force. By November, 1918, the Committee employed at 
the State House alone 188 "paid and 55 volunteer workers. 
These, with the Executive Committee, the Food and Fuel 
Administrations, and the various sub-committees daily in 
session, totaled a present working force of about 300, calling 
for a payroll of $4,722.58 a week. 

Eventually the workers for all activities were taken solely 
on the basis of individual qualification, either through pre- 
vious training and experience, or from special adaptability 
to the particular function for which they were wanted, due 
consideration being also given to the time at their disposal, 
and to the distance from residence or place of business to 
the State House. 

One thing remains an undoubted fact, that however great 
the merits of civil service under peace conditions, its regula- 
tions would have been a serious encumbrance in such an 
emergency as confronted the Committee; and it was truly 
fortunate that the Council of National Defense, with whom 
all Committees on Public Safety were suppositiously more 
or less affiliated, was exempt from this handicap. 

It must be remembered that the Massachusetts Commit- 
tee on Public Safety was an emergency organization quickly 
gotten together for an immediate and extraordinary pur- 
pose, where time was an element of vital importance and 
delay fatal. It was therefore natural that the Committee 
should be confronted with innumerable obstacles in getting 
down to business; but its work proved so in harmony with 
the spirit of the time that it was not long before a plan of 
organization was carried through and the work in full opera- 
tion. 

93 



The administration of the business end of the Committee 
presented an exceedingly exacting and difficult job, due 
principally to the make-up of the personnel and the ever 
shifting recpiirenients. But all this was ably and satisfac- 
torily handled by the assistant executive managers: Mr. 
Levi H. Greenwood, February 16, 1917, to February 15, 
1918, when he was made chief of the Federal Ordnance 
Office, Boston District; Mr. W. A. L. Bazeley, February 15, 
1918, to October 17, 1918, at which date he entered the 
army as an officer in the Sanitary Corps; Mr. Arthur A. 
Kidder, October 17, 1918, to November 20, 1918, when the 
Committee was dissolved. 

The stand taken by Governor McCall, Lieutenant- 
Governor Coolidge and the Council in always unhesitat- 
ingly supporting the best interests of the Committee was a 
fine example of the general spirit of determination that 
everywhere obtained. Lieutenant-Governor Coolidge at one 
time renuirked that, if necessary, he would give up his private 
office and "sit on the steps of the State House rather than 
see the Committee want for necessary room." 

The same backing was shown by State officials and com- 
missions with offices at the State House, to which they had 
a legal right, unselfishly submitting to much discomfort and 
annoyance from the constant shifting of their well-ordered 
establishments to less desirable and more crowded qiuirters, 
in order to make way for the Committee on Public Safety. 

Yet this generous regard for the Committee and its work, 
however well im])lanted, would never have materialized as 
it did but for the kindly consideration of Sergeant-at-Arms 
Thomas F. Pedrick, for twenty-three years managing cus- 
todian of the State House and its i)ro])erties. From first to 
last, he strove to comfortably house the Committee, and in 
many other ways to advance its interests whenever and 
wherever such voluntary service did not conflict with his 
official duties. He accepted the welfare of the Committee 
as in all respects his especial charge, and so interested was 
he in the success of this grasping encroachment on his well- 

94 



ordered domain that he made it part of his daily routine to 
visit the Committee rooms, dressed as usual in the full 
regalia of his office. His long black coat, silk cockade hat 
and genial smile will always remain a grateful memory. 

Office Rooms 

It may be interesting to interpolate here a word in regard 
to the office organization of the Committee, as it developed. 
Co-extensive with the rapid and unforeseen expansion of its 
undertaking came an increasing demand for office space. 
From a two-room activity early in March, 1917, the tax 
upon the Committee's resources as soon as war was 
declared grew to such proportions that by April practi- 
cally the whole first floor of the west wing of the State 
House, comprising twenty-five rooms, were required for its 
use. In July, owing to the further crowding entailed by 
the food and coal problems, even this extra space proved 
totally inadequate, and about a dozen other rooms scat- 
tered through the building were made available for com- 
mittee meetings at stated times of the day. In addition, a 
number of outside offices were rented in different localities 
of the city. Mrs. Thayer generously gave, rent free, the 
entire building at 20 Ashburton Place, to be used by the 
Women's Conservation Division and similar functions con- 
nected therewith. The floor space occupied at the State 
House measured 17,020 sc^uare feet; yet during the greater 
part of each day the Committee was severely taxed for room, 
desks being crowded together with only narrow passage- 
ways left open to serve the constant stream of people com- 
ing and going. Some reference might here be made to the 
private office of the executive manager. Mr. Endicott, 
whose leadership carried with it so large a share of the 
burden and responsibilities of the Committee, occupied a 
small room of approximately four hundred and eighty 
square feet. This was chosen for him as a private office, 
but he insisted on four of his assistants, Messrs. Ratshesky, 
Phelan, Clark and Lyman, sharing these quarters, with the 

95 



result that his "private" office contained not only these 
"partners," as he termed them, but also his secretary, Mr. 
Thomas J. Moore, four clerks and half a dozen telephones, 
with telephone booth and switchboard. Yet with all the 
busy life going on about him he daily managed both to 
receive and to consult with anywhere from twenty-five to 
fifty people, exclusive of the numerous labor delegations 
and Committee meetings requiring his presence in other 
parts of the building. 

The purpose of the Committee involved problems new 
in character and means of fulfillment, and difterent from 
anything our citizens had ever had occasion to deal with. 
Vexatious questions at home, or a change of base at Wash- 
ington, continually taxed to the utmost the patience and 
resources of the inner office, which was the main center of 
inspiration and advice to the sub-committees working at the 
State House or throughout the Commonwealth. Finally, 
committee meetings, correspondence and the constant 
strain of callers crowding the office so hampered his time 
that Mr. Endicott found it impossible to confer in private 
with his assistants, and hence, following in the footsteps of 
a distinguished national character, an "amen corner" was 
arranged for as a place for rest and recreation at luncheon 
time, where who should be host was determined strictly by 
mathematical process. 



96 



Part II 



LABOR CONTROVERSIES AND ARBITRATIONS 

The story of the Massachusetts Committee on PubHc 
Safety during the two final years of the Great War is an 
integral part of the history of the Commonwealth in a time 
of crisis. If her quota of splendid service proved foremost 
at the front, the triumph of her home armies is likewise a 
matter of record. 

A member of this rear guard, and on whose shoulders was 
placed a great and most serious responsibility, was the 
executive manager of the Committee on Public Safety. 
What his popular administration accomplished in behalf of 
the country's interests and in service to the State may, in 
part at least, be gathered from this story. Mr. Endicott's 
leadership may well recall to his associates the words of a 
great philosopher of more than three centuries ago : — 

A Great Place. 

Preserve the right of thy place, but stir not questions of jurisdiction; 
and rather assume thy right in silence, and de facto, than voice it witli 
claims and challenges. Preserve likewise the rights of inferior places; 
and think it more honor to direct in chief than to be busy at all. 
Embrace and invite helps and advices touching the execution of thy 
place; and do not drive away such as bring thee information, as meddlers, 
but accept of them in good part. 

The general method of procedure on Mr. Endicott's part, 
when a labor difficulty was brought to him by either the 
employer or employee, was to take the position that he 
would not arbitrate unless at the request of both parties. 
He next tried to have both sides agree to a settlement 
without arbitration. Another initial condition was, in case 
arbitration was agreed to and the men had already gone 
out, that they should return to work immediately while 

97 



awaiting the result of the arbitrator's findings, further 
pledging themselves to abide by whatever deeision was 
eventually rendered. It might be added, also, that there 
were never but two attempts to override his findings. 
Both of these failed, and the men in each case went back to 
work. In many of the differences he was called upon to 
settle he acted not only at the request of all parties in 
interest, but also in response to an urgent and personal 
appeal from the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the 
Navy, or both. About one hundred and fifty strikes, 
involving large numbers of employees and very vital inter- 
ests, and an equal number of smaller ones, were adjusted; 
some never reaching the point of formal arbitration, but 
being settled by bringing the parties together and giving 
advice, which was accepted in good i)art and eventually 
followed. 

The evidence of the deep-seated respect entertained for 
his decrees was shown by the continually multi])lying 
demands for his services. Most of the cases adjudicated 
appear to have been brought primarily at the instance of 
the employer, while both the records of the Committee and 
Mr. Endicott's private correspondence contain many letters 
of appreciation from parties in interest whose claims he had 
disallowed in favor of their opponents. 

Although Mr. Endicott personally conducted the arbitra- 
tions, studying the evidence and rendering the final decision 
of adjustment, he had habitually with him as advisors one 
or more members of the Executive Committee, being 
es]:)ecially dependent in this regard on the assistance of Mr. 
John F. Stevens, Mr. B. Preston Clark and Mr. W. R. 
Peabody. 

The following, listed in the chronological order of their 
occurrence, comprehend the more important controversies: — 

Gloucester fishermen. 
Boston market-garden teamsters. 

Dock freiglit handlers connected with Locals No. 809 and No. 88'-2 of the 
International Longslioremen's Association. 

98 



Maintenance-of-way employees of the Boston & Albany Railroad. 

Plumbers' controversy at the cantonment at Ayer, Mass. 

Threatened strike at General Electric Company Works at Pittsfield, 
Mass. 

Stationary firemen, Massachusetts Chocolate Company. 

Firemen and oilers on Floating Hospital. 

Work on government appraisers' stores, Northern Avenue, Boston. 

New England Fuel and Transportation Company — firemen and oilers. 

S. A. Woods Machine Company — machinists, etc. 

Coal teamsters of Boston and vicinity. 

Boston & Maine Railroad car cleaners. 

Boston market-garden teamsters (second arbitration). 

Petticoat workers at shops of Superior Petticoat Company. 

Aberthaw Construction Company trouble at Squantum. 

Boston Automobile Mechanics. 

Boston & Maine machinists and helpers, boiler makers and helpers, 
blacksmiths and helpers, railway carmen and helpers, sheet-metal 
workers, pipe fitters and helpers, and electrical workers. 

Fore River machinists, bolters and reamers, helpers and crane men. 

Lynn shoe controversy. 

Boston & Maine station employees, freight and office clerks, baggage 
men and crossing tenders. 

The Western Electric Company, Inc. — miscellaneous employees. 

Bakers' strike at plants of Fox and Ferguson companies. 

Lamplighters of Boston. 

Stationary engineers and firemen at plant of Loose- Wiles Biscuit Com- 
pany. 

Stove mounters of Boston. 

Haverhill coal teamsters, chauffeurs, stable men and helpers. 

Coal teamsters, chauffeurs and helpers of Newton, Watertown, Waltham 
and vicinity. 

Sole cutters at factory of Gutterman, Strauss Company. 

Building workers at Watertown Arsenal. 

Building workers at appraisers' stores. 

Lynn coal teamsters. 

Overcoat workers at plant of Leopold Morse Company. 

New England Telephone operators. 

Boston Elevated carmen. 

Telephone operators outside metropolitan Boston. 

Munition workej-s at plant of Albert & J. M. Anderson Manufacturing 
Company, South Boston. 

Fall River mill firemen. 

Condit Electrical Manufacturing Company — assemblers and machinists. 

Metal polishers at Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company. 

99 



Carriage, wagon and automobile workers of Boston. 

Carlin Construction Company — work on appraisers' stores. 

American Rubber AVorks employees. 

Boston murk(-t-gar(len teamsters (third arbitration). 

Steam shovel and dredgemen at quartermaster's stores, South Boston. 

Scrub women at State House. 

New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company — freight handlers. 

City Foundry Company — foundrymen. 

Jewish bakers. 

Coal teamsters, eliauffeurs and wharf men of Boston (second arbitration). 

Weavers and spinners at West Boylston Manufacturing Company. 

Operators and linemen at Edison Electric Illuminating Company. 

Controversy re dumping of ashes on fishing vessels. 

Stationery firemen, boiler and engine men of Taunton. 

Fish handlers at Boston Fish Pier. 

Clothing workers at plant of L. F. Brundage Company, Chelsea, Mass. 

Carmen on railways operated in Worcester, Springfield, Attleboro and 

surrounding towns. 
North Adams Manufacturing Company — spinners. 
Carpet layers, Jordan, Marsh Company. 
Arbitration proceedings regarding wage scale between Electrical Union 

No. 103, I. B. E. W., and Contractors' Association. 
Berkshire Street Railway Company — carmen. 
Loomfixers and other operatives at Lowell Textile Mills. 
Loomfixers and other operatives at Manchester, N. H., Textile Mills. 
Loomfixers and other operatives at Lancaster Mills, Clinton, Mass. 
Weavers at American Woolen Company Mills, Lawrence, Mass. 
American Steam Gauge and Valve Company — tool and die makers. 
Coal hoisting engineers, Local No. 74. 
Weavers at the Clover Worsted Mills at Franklin, Mass. 
The IMiddlebrook Wool Combing Company — wool scourers and sorters. 
Coal trimmers employed by the Maritime Coal Companj^ 
Upholsterers employed by Metz Company at Waltham, Mass. 
Waiters and cooks at Exchange Club, Boston. 
Cold-storage workers at plant of Quincy Market Cold Storage Company,. 

Boston. 
Ship carpenters at several shipbuilding plants at East Boston, Mass. 
Gas distributors ot the Boston Consolidated Gas Company. 
Gloucester fish cutters. 

Edwin A. Benchley Company, Cambridge, Mass. — workers on life rafts. 
Uswoco Mills, Lawrence, Mass. — - weavers. 
Middlesex & Boston Street Railwav — carmen. 



100 



A few only of the foregoing, each representative of its 
special class, and embodying the general principles involved 
in all, will now be discussed. 

Specific Arbitrations and Settlements 

I. Gloucester Fishermen 

Shortly after the Committee on Public Safety came into 
being, the attention of the authorities was called to the 
labor troubles prevailing in the Commonwealth, many of 
which affected matters of vital interest to the government, 
and threatened very seriously to impair the efficiency of the 
home army. 

The first request coming to Mr. Endicott to act as arbi- 
trator was on April 19, 1917, in connection with the Gloucester 
fishermen's strike. In this controversy there were three 
interests involved, — the ship owners, the captains, and the 
fishermen or employees. About 3,000 men were engaged in 
an effort to change working conditions that had been in 
vogue on fishing vessels for many years. In the neighborhood 
of 375 vessels, including 10 steam trawlers, or about the 
entire fishing fleet at Gloucester, were tied up, shutting off 
Massachusetts from at least one-fifth of her food produc- 
tion. The State Board of Arbitration and officials from the 
United States Department of Labor had for eight weeks 
previously endeavored to bring about an adjustment, but 
failed. The strike was not altogether a peaceful one, and 
at one time it developed into a small riot. 

The fishermen wrote a letter to the Governor deploring 
the existence of the strike, as well as the necessity, in order 
to keep up the food supply of the country, of their agreeing 
to arbitration. Moreover, although still setting forth the 
justice of their original claims, they agreed to an arbitra- 
tion, "because we want to act not less but more patriotically 
than any body of citizens in the Commonwealth." 

The masters and owners also wrote to His Excellency 
explaining their difficulties, and expressing the desire to 

101 



assume their fair share of the burdens of the war notwith- 
standing their belief in the full justice of their claims. 

Governor McCall took tlie matter up with Mr. Endicott, 
who, accompanied by Mr. J. Frank O'Hare and Mr. John F. 
Stevens, labor representatives, and Mr. Charles S. Baxter, 
went to Gloucester as His Excellency's representatives. All 
sides to the controversy immediately went into continuous 
session for two days and two nights, adjourning the meet- 
ings one day at 3 a.m., and the final day at 4.30 a.m. The 
strike was successfully settled by an agreement on both 
sides, to last for the duration of the war. 

This agreement was followed to the letter, and not a 
strike or lockout occurred in this industry during the entire 
period of the war. Many adjustments had to be made 
relating to different vessels, use of gears and the payment 
for the same, general wages, working conditions, etc.; yet 
notwithstanding that three separate interests were involved, 
as above stated, the settlement entered into at that time 
worked satisfactorily during the life of the agreement. 

The arbitrator's decisions on certain minor points which 
came up later were also followed without relapse. 

The conditions previous to this settlement were more far- 
reaching than may appear. An ultimatum had been served 
by the Union on the captains and shippers, who were in a 
manner of partnership, that unless the demands of the 
fishermen were satisfactorily met on April 9, the strike 
would be extended to other fishing ports, at Boston as well 
as at Gloucester. 

II. Market-garden Teamsters 

The market-garden teamsters, about 300 in number, 
whose business it was to transport fruits, vegetables and 
similar products from the receiving stations to the Quincy, 
Faneuil Hall and adjacent markets, and from thence to 
different ])oints of distribution, threatened to strike. If 
this had taken ])lace, a serious curtailment of a class 

102 



of food essential to the health of the city would have 
resulted. 

About the 1st of May, 1917, the teamsters, having asked 
for an increase in wages of $4 per week with an extra 50 
cents an hour for overtime, declared they were going on 
strike within forty-eight hours. Later the teamsters ac- 
cepted 40 cents an hour for overtime, and the controversy 
centered on the $4 extra a week. 

At the request of Governor McCall the strike was held 
up for twenty-four hours, during which interval His Excel- 
lency called the matter to the attention of Mr. Endicott, 
who, with others of the Committee on Public Safety, went 
into conference with the strikers and the team owners. 
Finally a settlement was reached between them and a new 
weekly wage scale established, as follows: drivers of heavy 
wagons, $16.50; two-horse teams, $18.50; four-horse teams, 
$20.50; chauffeurs and lumpers, $18.50. Slight changes 
were also made in regard to hours and working conditions, 
with an agreement that any future differences between the 
parties should be settled by arbitration. 

The agreement of the market-garden teamsters made in 
May, 1917, was to continue for a year. In October, 1917, 
a request was made upon the team owners by the teamsters 
for a raise in wages, the latter saying that, although they 
had signed for one year, the steadily rising increase in the 
cost of living warranted their asking for more money regard- 
less of the agreement. They claimed, besides, that teamsters 
in other lines of work had recently had their pay increased 
voluntarily by the team owners, and were receiving $2 a 
week more than the market-garden teamsters. The matter 
was brought to Mr. Endicott's attention, who, after hearing 
both sides, recommended that the men be given an increase 
of $2 a week in their respective classes. This recommenda- 
tion met with the approval of the Team Owner's Associa- 
tion, and the wages were raised accordingly. 

Six months later, on April 4, 1918, the controversy was, 
renewed, the teamsters demanding a still further increase 

103 



in pay. After several conferences had been held, ]Mr. 
Endicott, on April 30, sent a communication to Mr. William 
Meliegan representing the teamsters, setting forth that it 
should be considered l\v them a patriotic duty to do every- 
thing in their power to ])revent, during the war emergency, 
anything adversely affecting food supply. This letter was 
read to the members of the Teamsters' Union. A similar 
letter was also sent to the Team Owners' Association. 
Apparently the suggestions in these comnnmications were 
followetl out, for no further effort was made on the part of 
the men to strike. 

If these controversies had not been settled, it is more 
than probable that all produce coming from Texas and 
other points in the South would have gone to New York, 
Philadelphia and Baltimore for a market, and that it would 
have taken the better part of a year to restore normal con- 
ditions for exports and imports of produce at the port of 
Boston. 



III. Dock Freight Handlers connected with Locals 

809 AND 822 OF THE INTERNATIONAL LoNGSHOREMEn's 

Association 

On Monday night. May 14, 1917, the above dock freight 
handlers voted to go on strike the following Tuesday morn- 
ing, thereby threatening a serious tie-up on the whole water 
front. Through the energetic efforts of Mr. William F. 
Dempsey, national organizer of the International Long- 
shoremen's Association, the strike was held in abeyance 
until he could communicate with the Massachusetts Com- 
mittee on Public Safety, before whom he later appeared 
and stated his case. The outcome was a conference at the 
Committee's rooms between the men, the contractors and 
the railroads, with the residt that the strike was called off 
until Monday night. May 21. No satisfactory agreement 
having been reached by that time, it went into effect on 
Tuesday, May 22. 

104 



On Wednesday, May 23, the Committee called the parties 
in interest together, including the representatives of the 
men, of the Boston & Maine and Boston & Albany Rail- 
roads, and of the contractors. A plan was adopted to sus- 
pend the strike for a fortnight, during which time the Com- 
m.ittee on Public Safety was to investigate the claims of 
both sides. On submitting this plan to the East Boston 
Freight Handlers' Union No. 822 it was accepted, although 
the men did not return to work immediately. On the other 
band, it was flatly rejected by the Charlestown Long- 
shoremen's Union No. 809 at a special meeting, and by a 
vote of 79 to 59. Following this action the general freight 
handlers at Charlestown immediately struck in sympathy, 
as did likewise the longshoremen. If this condition had 
continued the result would have been a general tieing up of 
the whole water front, completely paralyzing all avenues of 
commerce at the port of Boston. 

Nevertheless, on Saturday, May 26, Union No. 809 at 
Charlestown reconsidered their former action and unan- 
imously voted to accept the plan of the Committee on 
Public Safety, as already agreed to by Union No. 822. 
Under this arrangement all the dock freight handlers went 
back to work without prejudice and under the same condi- 
tions existing before they struck, but with the express stipu- 
lation that they should be given an opportunity to present 
their case to Mr. Endicott and the following Committee: 
James J. Phelan, John F. Stevens, J. Frank O'Hare and 
Charles S. Baxter. 

At the same time the general freight handlers and long- 
shoremen, who were out on a sympathetic strike, likewise 
returned to work. 

The decision of the Committee above named was rendered 
on June 5, 1917, to the effect that the wages of the men 
should be increased 20 cents per day from May 28, to 
November 28, 1917, and that thereafter, from November 
28, 1917, to May 28, 1918, they should receive 5 cents a 
day additional, making the increase for the latter six months 

105 



25 cents a day above their present wages. At first there 
was some hesitation on the part of a few of the men about 
accepting this award, but the matter was finally adjusted, 
and the men went back to work as before. 

If this controversy had not been settled it was likely, 
through sympathy, that a strike of all dock freight handlers, 
loading and unloading freight for other railroads on the 
Atlantic seaboard, as well as of general freight handlers 
and longshoremen, would also have taken place, thereby 
involving nearly 10,000 men. 

Four months later, on October 1, 1917, the Charlestown 
and East Boston dock freight handlers demanded approxi- 
mately $3.50 a day, a nine-hour day, and double pay for 
overtime. These demands were not acceded to by the 
railroads, and all the men, for the second time, went on 
strike. 

The Secretary of War, realizing that interruption through 
this work meant serious delay in the whole army program, 
sent his representative, Mr. Stanley King, on from Washing- 
ton. After consulting Mr. Endicott, Mr. King had an 
interview with the leader of the strikers and arranged that 
the case should be left to arbitration, three men being agreed 
upon to act as arbitrators, namely, Mr. King as chairman, 
Dean Edwin F. Gay of Harvard University, and Mr. Martin 
T. Joyce representing the American Federation of Labor. 
The men promised to go back to work pending the arbitra- 
tion, which agreement they kept. This commission had 
several hearings, and on October 1(5, 1917, rendered a de- 
cision allowing the men an increase of 25 cents a day over 
their present wage of $2.75. Slight changes were also made 
in the hours and working conditions. 

Upon the receipt of the award, however, the men refused 
to accept its terms, and, contrary to their promise, left work 
for the third time. 

Once more the Secretary of War was compelled to appeal 
to Mr. Endicott, who, on October 17, calling the strikers 
together, set forth the seriousness of the emergency, impress- 



ing upon the men how directly the safety of our boys 
fighting at the front was involved, bringing to their atten- 
tion that they had previously agreed to abide by the decision 
of the Commission appointed by the Secretary of War, and 
ending with an urgent appeal to their patriotism to stand 
by their given word. It was also pointed out to them that 
by not living up to their agreement they were seriously 
damaging their organization. After this conference they 
held a meeting, and all voted to accept the award and went 
back to work. 



IV. Boston & Maine Machinists 

In the early part of September, 1917, about 3,500 em- 
ployees of the Boston & Maine System Federation of Rail- 
road Employees, Department of the American Federation 
of Labor, composed of machinists and helpers, boiler makers 
and helpers, blacksmiths and helpers, railway carmen, — 
all affiliated with the Federation, — together with non- 
affiliated sheet-metal workers, pipe fitters and helpers 
and electrical workers, were on strike, demanding a flat 
increase in wages of 8 cents per hour, thus crippling the 
road and threatening to bring transportation to a stand- 
still throughout the entire system. The receiver, under 
the court's instruction, was authorized to submit the dispute 
to an arbitrator to be chosen by the Council of National 
Defense. 

On September 5 Mr. Endicott received a telegram from 
the Secretary of War, requesting him to do everything in 
his power to settle the strike. Immediately following this 
came a letter from the Department of Labor requesting 
him "to use j'our good offices, in conjunction with the efforts 
of the Federal authorities, to bring about, if possible, an 
immediate settlement of this difficulty," and further stating 
that it was deemed of the utmost public importance, in 
the interest of all concerned, that "this labor" should be 
undertaken. 



107 



In response to these requests Mr. Endicott called the 
parties in interest together, asking both sides to submit 
a succinct statement of their case, and to give the gist of 
the evidence substantiating their respective contentions. 
After a hearing he recommended to Mr. J. H. Hustis, the 
receiver, that, pending a final decision, the wages be raised 
at once 5 cents per hour, on condition that the men return 
immediately to work. This they did, and both sides agreed 
to leave their remaining claims to him as arbitrator. 

In the final arbitration the agreement for an advance of 
5 cents was extended also to the apprentices. 

The main question for decision was as to what part, if 
any, of the 3 cents per hour additional the men were reason- 
ably entitled to, taking into consideration the advanced 
cost of living and the maintenance of good living standards, 
as well as the figures presented showing the rates of pay 
and the recent advances on most of the railroads of the 
United States. There was no material disagreement be- 
tween the parties as to the evidence, and the case as presented 
to Mr. Endicott was on an undisputed statement of facts. 

In his decision he refused to entertain the position that 
the poor financial condition of the railroad — so distressingly 
bad as to call for material relief at the hands of the Federal 
authorities — made it reasonable to ask the men to work 
for less than fair wages. He then goes on to say: — 

It appeared that the present rates of pay of corresponding men on tlie 
great majority of all the other railroads in the United States had only 
recently been fixed, in most part by agreement with the federations or 
(in some cases) by arbitration. 

It also appeared that rates of pay were now, and have been for an 
indefinite past, fixed and paid on different bases in the East and in the 
AVest, and on a number of long lines there are two or three rates of pay 
to the same class of men, lowest in the East, and "increasing as you go 
West." 

It appeared that union scale usages, not only for railroad men but for 
various other artisans, were generally and materially lower in the East 
than in the West. 

There also appeared, even in scliedules recently agreed upon by the 
men in dift'erent sections of the United States, numerous apparent dis- 

108 



parities, as, for example, on one road the boiler maker gets a higher 
rate per hour than the machinist or the blacksmith; on another road 
the blacksmith gets the highest; while on others all three get the same. 

All that (whether meritorious or not, and whatever the historic or 
other reasons for the disparities may be) would involve standardizing the 
rates through the railroads of the country, and any such matter as that 
is clearly beyond the scope of this reference to me. 

The men on the Boston & Maine system had a flat 2 cents per hour 
advance in April, retroactive to January, 1917. The 5 cent advance of 
September 8 made the total advance for 1917, 7 cents per hour, or about 
26 per cent advance on the average of the prior wages. 

Considering the present and recently agreed rates on nearly all the 
roads in the coimtry, and particularly on the roads east of the Mississippi 
River, I am absolutely clear that the 5 cents per hour advance made to 
the Boston & Maine men on September 8 was a proper advance, fairly 
called for, but I am equally clear, on all the evidence, that that advance 
put the men on at least as high a wage basis as the average in the entire 
eastern half of the country. 

I find that the 7-cent Boston & Maine advance, in 1917, corresponds 
very closely indeed with the average percentage of all the similar railroad 
advances made and accepted by the federations in 1917 throughout the 
United States, so far, at least, as disclosed by all the evidence before me. 

From the tables furnished me (particularly those of the United States 
Bureau of Labor Statistics) I feel that the 7-cent wage advance of 1917 
(roughly, 26 per cent of the former wage) fairly corresponds, on the 
whole, with the simultaneous advance in the cost of living, but whether 
this be strictly true or not, I also feel that the recent advance in living 
costs is a war result of uncertain duration, and that no man can fairly 
claim (and certainly no worker involved in this case would claim) that 
he was to be so paid or otherwise taken care of that he would bear no 
part of the burden of the war, or that he would want to escape doing his 
fair share towards accomplishing its speedy and successful termination. 

It is my best judgment, arrived at after long hours of study, that the 
recent 5-cent advance made the wages, on the whole, as fair and reason- 
able as I could make them, and I, therefore, award nothing more. 



The settlement of this strike was most fortunate, inas- 
much as the whole Boston & Maine system would have 
been paralyzed if there had been a failure to bring together 
both sides in the dispute. 

Notwithstanding that the arbitrament was directly 
contrary to the demands, if not expectations, of the wage 

109 



earners, Mr. Robert Fechner, who represented the em- 
ployees in the many conferences held, wrote a very courteous 
letter to Mr. Endicott, thanking him for the interest he 
had shown, and giving his assurance that the working men 
would abide bv the terms of the arbitration. This they did. 



V. Fore River Machinists, Reamers and Bolters 

About the 1st of November, 1917, between 8,000 and 
9,000 men, workers at the Fore River Shipbuilding Plant, 
and comprising machinists, bolters and reamers, helpers, 
drillers and crane men, were on strike. On November 4 
Mr. Endicott received a telegram from the United States 
Shipping Board, Washington, requesting him to consider 
the situation as it existed at Fore River, and further stating 
that the Shipbuilding Labor Adjustment Board, operating 
under an agreement — a copy of which was forwarded 
later — between the government and officials of the American 
Federation of Labor, was at that time on the Pacific coast, 
and so not available to entertain the proposition at Fore 
River; and that those now working in the interest of media- 
tion at Quincy were unable to bring the contending parties 
together. The telegram likewise expressed the desire that 
Mr. Endicott should act as mediator. 

On the same day a conference was held between the 
officials of the company, Mr. Robert Fechner representing 
the men, and Mr. Endicott, the result of which was an 
agreement appointing the latter as arbitrator. This agree- 
ment provided that the men should at once return to work 
at the same scale of wages prevailing at the Charlestown 
Navy Yard, wliicli had gone into effect on November 1, 
1917, and that the question of classification of the employees 
should be left to arbitration. Still further, it was stipulated 
that during the continuance of the war, and for such time 
as government work was being done at the Fore River 
Yard, the government wage under the agreement should 
remain in force unless altered bv nuitiud consent. 



110 



A telegram was also received by Mr. Endicott from the 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, offering the suggestion 
that the scale of wages established November 1 at the 
Navy Yard, which had proved acceptable to both labor and 
the government, as well as all questions involving the details 
of putting these wages into force at the Fore River Works in 
the same spirit in which they were in operation at the 
Charlestown Navy Yard, should be left to the arbitrator's 
determination. 

At once a series of conferences was held between the 
officials of the company and the representatives of the 
men, where the whole subject of classification was thoroughly 
gone into, and on November 28 Mr. Endicott rendered his 
decision, in substance as follows : — 

Bolters and Reamers 
The bolters and reamers who had previously been rated on a classifi- 
cation of 32 per cent first class and 68 per cent second class were, under 
the new arrangement, to be rated in the proportion of 51 per cent first 
class and 49 per cent second class. By this finding the wages of 50 men 
were immediately advanced. 

First and Second Class Helpers 
In regard to these men, inasmuch as the proportion of first-class 
helpers at the Navy Yard was higher than at the Fore River Yard, it was 
only reasonable that the Fore River Works, under the existing condi- 
tions, should raise the proportion of first-class helpers to 55 per cent, 
and second-class helpers to 45 per cent, classification. These propor- 
tions had formerly been 5 per cent for first-class helpers, and 95 per 
cent for second-class helpers. In consequence, by this finding the rating 
of 260 men was immediately raised. 

Drillers 

In the matter of drillers, it was found that the existing wage classifi- 
cation for first and second class drillers at the Fore River Works was 
identical with that in force on November 1 at the Charlestown Navy 
Yard, making no further change necessary or advisable. 

As to third-class drillers, those employed hy the Fore River Company 
had been receiving a rating between the first and second class helpers' 
ratings, and as no such distinction existed at the Navy Yard, it followed 
that there was no argument for changing the existing classification. 

Ill 



Crane Men 

In regard to the crane men, the arbitrator found that those operating 
overhead electric cranes, or electrically operated shipbuilding cranes, 
should be classified as crane men, with the same rating and with the 
same pay as crane men received at the Navy Yard. 

All crane men operating locomotive cranes, track cranes and floating 
cranes were given a special classification and rating as first-class en- 
gineers. 

Crane men operating floating cranes of 10 tons or less were classified 
and rated as first, second or third class "engineers, according to the ton- 
nage of the cranes. 

An operator of the floating crane with an electric drive was given a 
rating similar to the operator at the Navy Yard in charge of the 150- 
ton floating cranes. 

Machinists 

It was decided that 19 per cent of the machinists employed should be 
rated as first class, 58 per cent second class, and 23 per cent third class, 
these rates of paj^ment for the respective classes being on the same basis 
as those prevailing at the Navy Yard. The proportions previously ex- 
isting for machinists at Fore River were 12 per cent first class, 20 per 
cent second class and G8 per cent third class. 

This last finding resulted in an advance in rating of over 400 machin- 
ists, and was based upon information which the machinists themselves 
furnished on blanks supplied by Mr. E. R. Thaj'cr, master mechanic at 
the Navy Yard. It was also a part of the finding on the rating of machin- 
ists that promotions in the three classes should be made in accordance 
with the Navy Yard sj^stem, but only after probationary periods. More- 
over, it was provided that demotions and discharges shoidd be made in 
individual cases where cause warranted it. 

Finally, all the classifications and reratings in connection with any of 
the above classes were to be retroactive from the date the men returned 
to work, namely, November 5. 

This decision met, in general, with the approbation of 
the contending parties. Protests, however, were made to 
the Navy Department by the machinists, alleging that 
certain instructions in the award were not definite enough 
to absolutely ensure, in their judgment, fair classification. 
But the Department refused to interfere, on the ground 
that it was committed to the principle of arbitration, and 
would not consider in any way reopening the matter. 
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt,- apparently judging that con- 

112 



ditions were still critical at the Fore River Works, and on 
the assumption that the men were restless and likely to 
stop work at any moment, communicated the substance of 
these protests to Mr. Endicott, who, in reply, said in part : — 

In every labor trouble where I have had occasion to take part I have 
felt it wise to keep in touch as far as possible with conditions after the 
men had gone back to work on my recommendation, and the exact con- 
ditions at Fore River were as follows: while there was some dissatisfac- 
tion amongst the crane men (which has been easily adjusted), and there 
was some criticism as to the strictness of the yardstick, and a natural 
feeling that each man would like to know just where he was going to come 
out, there was no thought on the part of the men to take part again in 
an open break. 

The resultant effect of this arbitration was that where 
9,000 men walked out, and the building of our so badly 
needed destroyers was threatened with indefinite delay, all 
of the men went back to work awaiting the decision of 
the arbitrator, by which they abided when it was given. 
Thus a serious setback to our efficiency was avoided. 

VI. Lynn Shoe Controversy 

Discontent on the question of wages among the shoe 
makers operating in twenty-six shoe factories in Lynn cul- 
minated on April 18, 1917, when the employees struck and 
the doors were closed, every factory completely shutting 
down, and the workmen remaining on strike for over five 
months. Government mediators from the Department of 
Labor at Washington, as well as from the Board of Concilia- 
tion and Arbitration, being the same agencies that had 
taken a hand previously in the hope of settling the Gloucester 
fishermen's strike, endeavored to bring about a settlement 
between the parties in interest, but without result. 

A resolution was drawn up by the Joint Committee of 
the United Shoe Workers of America and the Allied Shoe 
Makers' Union, recommending that Mr. Endicott should 
act as arbitrator in the dispute. To this, however, the 

113 



employers refused to assent, contending that if the wages 
demanded by the workmen were paid, it would be impossible 
for them to make shoes at a profit. This was one of the 
two cases — the other being the Middlesex & Boston Street 
Railway controversy — in which Mr. Endicott interposed 
to settle a strike without first awaiting the request of both 
parties. But considering the matter of such vital and 
immediate importance, he felt justified in calling a meeting 
at the mayor's office, in Lynn, on the morning of September 
19; and in notifying both parties added: — 

It is my judgment that if either side fails to be at this meeting it will 
be a serious mistake on its part. 

Both parties met at the time appointed, and in less than 
twenty minutes an agreement was reached, the essential 
terms of which were as follows: — 

1. Employees to resume work September 24, 1917. 

2. To receive same wages (and bonus) as paid April 18. 

3. No lockout or strike for three years from September 19, 1917. 
Differences during the life of the agreement to be considered by a com- 
mittee representing the manufacturers and the unions. Failing an 
agreement, all matters to be submitted to the State Board, whose decision 
should be final. 

4. "Pending prices" submitted to Mr. Endicott as arbitrator, his de- 
cision to be "final," and "to be retroactive to the date the men return 
to work," i.e., September 24, 1917. 

This agreement was signed by both parties, as well as 
by Mr. Endicott. In accordance with its terms the decision 
when made was to be final and retroactive to September 
24, 1917, the date on which the men returned to work. 

Immediately after this agreement was decided upon the 
Lynn Shoe Manufacturers' Association wrote to Mr. Endi- 
cott, saying: — 

It has been a most remarkable controversy, and it is our belief that 
the settlement just reached through you will ensure permanent and pros- 
perous peace to the Lynn shoe industry. 

114 



Again, a large shoe manufacturer, and one of the repre- 
sentatives of the manufacturers in the controversy, wrote 
to him, in part, as follows : — 

You approached the situation in a fair and diplomatic way, and I 
believe you have left a feeling of co-operation between the union leaders 
and the manufacturers that we have not had here for many years, and 
which in my opinion means much to the future of our industry in this 
city. 

Mr. Endicott also received the following letter from Mayor 
George H. Newhall of Lynn : — 

I again want to thank you for the most valuable service that you 
rendered to the citizens of Lynn in the matter of settling our labor 
troubles. 

We shall always think of you as a most valuable friend to our city. 
You could not have done better. You were "the right man in the right 
place." What you accomplished wUl go down in history as one of the 
most important events for the industrial peace and prosperity of our 
citizens. 

The following is an extract from a letter written to him 
by the President of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce : — 

I am writing to you both as President of the Lynn Chamber of Com- 
merce and as a private citizen, — • who has contributed as a volunteer 
effort hundreds of hours during the past twenty years for public welfare 
and public improvement purposes, — to tender to you the gratitude and 
appreciation of the business men of Lynn for the great public service 
you rendered to this city in your recent arbitration effort. 

Also I desire to express through you to Governor McCall the same 
appreciation. The satisfaction of achievement in matters of this kind is 
not only the greatest reward for an effort that helps a whole community, 
but it is generally sufficient to a man of your ideals for the work that has 
been done for this purpose. 

On September 22, in his report to the Governor, at whose 
request he had taken the matter up, after mentioning the 
assistance given him by Mr. Ratshesky, Mr. Endicott 
said: — 

I cannot claim any great credit in the adjustment of this matter, as I 
feel I only carried out j'our original suggestion that both sides be brought 

115 



together to counsel, with a guide to smooth the rougher edges of contro- 
versy, find the essential differences, and by suggesting the wa^' out, to 
start immediately the wheels of industry in tlie great common cause of 
the Nation and the State. I was enabled to do exactly these things 
through the good sense, the mutual toleration and the generous spirit of 
concession shown bj^ both sides. 

I must say to you that botli workers and manufacturers, as repre- 
sented at the conference, deserve from you as Governor, and from the 
people of their city and State, hearty congratulations because of the 
result obtained. 

I had every reason to expect at times evidence of feeling on both 
sides, but I am delighted to say that, notwithstanding the fact that, at 
your suggestion, I have presided at nimierous conferences between work- 
ers and their employers in order that the industrial progress of the 
country should not be hindered, never have I seen better feeling than 
that which prevailed at the Lynn conference. The Lynn slioe shops 
will reopen Monday. 

I am only giving to the members of your Committee on Public Safety 
the credit I think is due them when I say that since their appointment 
by you they have backed me in ever\" one of the big tasks undertaken. 

In replying, the Governor said in part as follows : — 

I most heartily thank you, and through you the members of the Com- 
mittee on Public Safety, for the excellent work you have done in bring- 
ing the employers and emploj^ees in the Lynn factories together so that 
work is to be resumed. The keeping of our railroads and of our indus- 
tries in motion has so important a relation to our efficiency at war that I 
have regarded it, as you know, as one of the prime subjects of the jiu-is- 
diction of your committee, and I have, therefore, called upon you, when 
industrial difficulties arose, to attempt, to compose them. This work 
alone, not to mention the other most excellent work that has been done, 
vindicates the appointment of the Public Safety Committee. 

The arbitration being agreed upon, both sides were 
given ample opportunity to present all the facts and to 
argue their claims. These were submitted in voluminous 
and detailed form on behalf of the employees by Mr. Stephen 
M. Walsh, general secretary, United Shoe Workers of 
America; Mr. Benjamin Fish of the Lasters' Local Union 
No. 1; Mr. George W. Savage of Lasting Machine Opera- 
tors' Local Union No. 5; Mr. David G. Nunan of the 

116 



McKay Sewers' Local Union No. 17; Mr. G. Frank Newhall 
of Packing Room Local No. 8; Mr. Charles A. Wilson 
of Bottomers' Local No. 21; Mr. Charles C. Whidden of 
the Button Hole Operators' Local No. 38; Mr. Henry 
Dinan of Mixed Local No. 54; Mr. William O. Atwell of 
Stitchers' Union 57; Mr. W. S. Blaisdell of the Lining 
and Trimming Cutters' Local No. 62; and by Mr. Joseph 
F. Parks of Stockfitters' Local 68. The manufacturers 
were represented by Mr. Harry M. Read, president, and 
Mr. George W. Gage, secretary, of the Lynn Shoe Manu- 
facturers' Association, and by several individual manu- 
facturing concerns. When the testimony was all in the 
arbitrator took several months to study the evidence, as 
well as the conditions existing in other shoe centers, and 
on February 6, 1918, rendered his decision. 

He called attention to the demoralized and unfortunate 
condition into which Lynn had fallen, bad alike for the 
employers and the employees, with special emphasis on 
the fact that the work of the different factories was neither 
graded nor steady, with piece prices hopelessly at variance 
in the different plants and without consideration of the 
grades of shoes or the sizes made; that the required skill 
of experienced workers was not properly recognized in the 
wages paid, and that the pay was often disproportionate 
to the work done; that no uniformity existed in the pay- 
ments for "extras;" and that women's and girls' jobs were 
wrongly held by men. 

In regard to time, he said : — 

The shoe business cannot be successfully run on the plan of working 
the factories part time, by paying for that time such high wages as will 
make up for long periods of "lay-offs" and no work. The employee 
wants a year's earnings, of course, but the manufacturers cannot pay a 
full year's wage for eight months' work and continue long in the business. 

After stating that he would not take into consideration 
rules and shop conditions, — as this phase of the controversy 
was not left for him to arbitrate under the terms of a written 
agreement which involved only pending prices,* — he takes 

117 



up the latter question as the precise issue involved for 
arbitration : — 

The various "locals" have submitted to me, very long, elaborate and 
detailed lists of prices now in force, covering hundreds of various opera- 
tions and "extras," with requests and arguments for the increase of these 
various items, or most of them, by from 10 to (in some cases) 40 to 50 
per cent. If by granting such requests I could fill the Lynn shops with 
steady work, I would gladly do anything in my power in this direction. 
Such would, however, be impossible. 

I am fully satisfied, after careful studj', that the great body of the 
present wage bases could not, m any fairness whatever, be now raised. 

The operators in Lynn are now being paid the list prices plus 10 per 
cent, this percentage increase having gone into effect by agreement 
between the parties as of January 15, 1917. 

The list prices, without the 10 per cent, are many of them higher 
than prevail in other shoe manufacturing centers, and even in some in 
which higher grade shoes are made than are made in Lynn generally. I 
am now asked to raise many prices at which very high weekly earnings 
are being made in Lynn shops. 

I believe many of the individual prices in Lynn are now higher than 
the shoe trade there can possibly stand, in the competitive race, on 
standard work, for any length of time. At the present piece prices 
(particularly with the present 10 per cent bonus) many of the workers 
are getting good, and, in some cases, high earnings. With anything like 
steady work and good efforts, I am satisfied that the present prices (plus 
bonus) would yield good wages to all. 

To raise such prices would simply be making conditions worse for all 
concerned. 

It must be borne in mind that Lynn is only one of many shoe maiui- 
facturing centers in the country. If the manufacture of a particular 
shoe costs $5 in Lynn, and only $4.50 or less in other places, Lj^nn will be 
"shut down." The other places will get the work. 

The case before me shows many instances of employees, in oi)erations 
requiring no great training or skill, drawing wages (on the basis of present 
list prices) at rates of from $140 to $200 a month. No manufacturer in 
the world can keep his factory going "steady" under any such condi- 
tions, which are demoralizing to the employee who receives a wage he 
does not merit; to the more skilled employee whose real merit is not 
correspondingly compensated; and to the emploj^er who has to compete 
with other shoe manufacturers. 

It is true that there are cases where the earnings, tlirough a period of 
months, or for the year, are not really adequate; but these result not 

118 



from the rates, but from slack work or "lay-offs." Raising the rates 
would simply add to the trouble and make the "lay-offs" more frequent, 
because it would make it, by just so much, harder, even than now, for 
the manufacturer to get the orders. 

I think that the female operatives in the packing room are perhaps 
receiving a low wage, at least proportionately, and I think the same may 
be said of the "table work," so called, in the stitching room. I award 
to such female packing room employees and to the female table work 
employees another 10 per cent of their respective list prices and weekly 
wages. 

I award no other advances. 



I have taken time in this matter and examined into conditions in 
other shoe centers. 

I want the Lynn shoe employees generally to realize that they are 
now, to-day, on an average, paid at the highest rates of wages of any 
shoe employees in the United States. This appears from all the evidence 
I have had. 

To raise these rates at this time means, in my judgment, a sure ruin 
to the Lynn industry as a whole. In fact, with the present wage lists it 
is only when the demand throughout the country is largely on the so- 
called "millinery" lines that Lynn can hope to get business. 

I should not be true to the trust which has been so loyally given to 
me by both the employees and the employers if I did not state the fact 
as plainly shown by all the evidence. 

Therefore, as the "pending prices," and pending prices alone, were 
submitted to me, I decide that, with the exceptions above stated, I can- 
not change the prices (with the bonus) now in effect. Such is my award. 



During the time pending, while the employees were 
awaiting the decision of the arbitrator, they continued to 
work under the original agreement, and kept this up during 
the war; and although two judges were appealed to to 
modify the agreement, both of them sustained the original 
document. 

Indicative of the harmonious relation established, not- 
withstanding that this decision was in direct contradiction 
to the claims of the employees, is the following statement 
issued by Mr. Stephen M. Walsh, general secretary-treasurer 
of the United Shoe Workers of America : — 



119 



The decision of Henry B. Endicott on what has been generally known 
as the "pending prices" controversy is disappointing, but Lynn shoe 
makers generally will accept the decision with patience and philosophy, 
feeling that ultimately some relief may be afforded them through the 
agreement that they have entered into with the Lynn Shoe Manufac- 
turers' Association. 

The statement of Mr. Endicott accompanying the decision is a general 
denunciation of the chaotic conditions existing in the industry, and is a 
confirmation of the claims of the workers. 

We have at all times been ready to co-operate with representatives of 
the manufacturers in an attempt to remedy these conditions, and if the 
shoe industry is to grow and thrive in Lynn these conditions must be 
changed. Shoe workers of Lynn will abide by the decision, but will not 
cease any legitimate effort to better the conditions of labor and to increase 
the earnings of shoe workers. 

Mr. Endicott has been courteous, painstaking and accommodating in 
his treatment of our representatives. We regret his findings but bow to 
his decision. 

At the same time he sent the following letter to Mr. 
Endicott: — 

February 7, 1918. 

Dear Mr. Endicott: — Please find attached to this note, statement 
issued by me to the press in re your decision on the "pending prices" 
controversy. I have nothing to add . to this statement except that I 
wish to extend to you my personal appreciation for the many kindnesses 
Aou have extended during the period of controversy. I have at all times 
found you willing and anxious to be of service to us in our extremity. 

You have my best wishes for your success in anything you undertake. 

The importance of this settlement, and the assistance 
given thereby to so essential an industry in a period of 
great emergency, cannot be overstated. 

The loyalty witli Avhich both sides always upheld the 
decisions of Mr. Endicott, when chosen arbitrator, was 
never more pointedly shown than in the Lynn shoe strike, 
when, after careful and insistent hearing of testimony, 
lasting for days, he found that the laborers — 15,000 of 
whom were awaiting his decision — received higher wages 
than paid elsewhere for the same work, and therefore gave 
only 10 per cent increase to the women, and to the men 

120 



nothing. Notwithstanding this defeat of the workmen and 
their leaders, they made the statement to him, verbally 
and in writing, that they were satisfied with the fairness 
of his decision. This showed, on their part, a nice perception 
of just treatment which no one could fail to appreciate. 

VII. Boston Elevated Carmen 

In February, 1917, a certain measure of financial relief 
had been granted by a special commission appointed by 
the Legislature in 1916 to consider the financial condition 
of the Boston Elevated Railway Company. On May 21, 
1917, His Excellency the Governor sent a communication 
to the Legislature in which he stated : — 

It was undoubtedly a grave condition (the condition of tlie Elevated 
Road) which led to the appointment of the commission a year ago, and 
it was a grave condition which led to the action which the commission 
has recommended. The substantial elements in the cost of transporta- 
tion upon this system can be quickly determined. There is no necessity 
for an inquiry long drawn out to determine the cost to the minute fraction 
of a mill, and if the commission is equipped with full authority in the 
premises I believe thej^ will take seasonable action, and action which will 
receive the public approval. The maintenance of this system is of very 
great public importance. It has a body of highly trained employees led 
by a man who is recognized throughout the country as one of the fore- 
most men in his calling. It gives very good service now; it should be 
enabled to give even better service in the future, and I believe that it 
will be able to do that under the efficient management which it now has 
and the full regulation of the Public Service Commission. 

The gravity of the predicament in which the Elevated 
Road found itself, and which led to the appointment of the 
commission and to the recommendations it gave, together 
with the Governor's letter, prompted the Public Service 
Commission, June 15, 1917, to make an expert investiga- 
tion, whose subsequent report, February, 1918, found the 
property to be properly managed. 

Also, previously, in 1914, a board of arbitraticm composed 
of Messrs. James J. Storrow, James H. Vahey and James 

121 



L. Richards fixed the wages of the employees until 1916, 
when the new agreement was made, and after calling atten- 
tion to the great increase in invested capital as compared 
with gross earnings, said: — 

This policy, if continued, is going to send the company to the poor- 
house, and it is also going to render it impossible for the company to 
obtain each year the additional capital which it must have in order to 
supply the transportation service needed by the people of this com- 
munity. ... It will be unutterably foolish and not tend to better traffic 
conditions, but lead to almost irretrievable injury, if this process of over- 
loading the company is not stopped, so as to give the gross earnings of 
the company a chance to catch up with its capitalization. Thereafter, 
the additional yearly burden placed upon the company should proceed at 
a rate measured in proportion to the possibilities of the situation. 

Still fm-ther, on April 15, 1917, the President of the 
United States stated : — 

To the men who run the railways of the coimtry, whether they be 
managers or operative employees, let me say that the railways are the 
arteries of the Nation's life, and that upon them rests the immense 
responsibility of seeing to it that those arteries suffer no obstruction of 
any kind, no inefficiency or slackened power. 

On February 24, 1918, about 8,000 carmen employed by 
the Boston Elevated Railway Company threatened to strike 
at midnight, February 25. If this danger had not been 
averted the entire system of the road would have been 
tied up and the general business of Massachusetts menaced. 
The demand was for a flat increase in wages of 4 cents an 
hour. The men were already working under an agreement 
made on May 1, 1916, to extend to May 1, 1919, and it 
was easily recognized that on its face this contract was not 
to be modified or disregarded in any part. The men re- 
quested, however, that due to the extraordinary changes in 
existing conditions, especially the difficulty of meeting the 
high cost of living, they should be allowed a special extra 
compensation of 4 cents. After a conference between the 
representatives of the men and the president of the com- 

122 



pany, the latter suggested that he would be willing to put 
out the demand to arbitration. This the carmen would not 
at first agree to. Finally, the situation became so acute that 
a Federal mediator was sent on from Washington to see 
what could be done, but this also failed to bring about any 
settlement between the parties. 

On February 25, 1918, the situation became so serious 
that Governor McCall was appealed to, and at his suggestion 
the men agreed to postpone the strike for seventy-two 
hours. 

His Excellency wrote to both employer and employees, 
suggesting the advisability of consulting Mr. Endicott in 
the premises. As a result, the parties in dispute met in 
conference with Mr. Endicott, and the demands of the 
workmen and the interests of the road were fully discussed. 
It was realized on both sides that in regard to the carmen's 
request for an increase in wages, the directors had no inlierent 
right to add anything to their present expenses; nor, on 
the other hand, under the existing agreement, did the men 
have the right to demand additional compensation any 
more than the road had to grant it. But both parties, 
recognizing the fact that the present conditions neither 
existed nor were anticipated in 1916, when the agreement 
was made, and that everything ought to be done to ensure 
the best possible service to the public, agreed to place their 
respective claims in the hands of Mr. Endicott, with a 
request that he make a recommendation, which they prom- 
ised to carry out if within their power to do so. 

With a full appreciation of the financial condition of the 
road, Mr. Endicott believed it both just and imperatively 
demanded in the interest of the service that some recognition 
should be made of the increased cost of living, and recom- 
mended that the men be paid a special extra compensation 
during the life of the existing agreement, that is, until May 
1, 1919, at a rate of 2 cents per hour flat increase over their 
present wage. This was much less than their demands. 

At the same time he expressed the further opinion that 

123 



the expenses of the road other than wages having increased 
out of all proportion to its income, it was unable to earn a 
fair return on its investment, or even to cover its fixed 
charges, and therefore it was imperative that the company 
should have immediate financial relief in order to render to 
the public that character of service to which it was entitled. 
In his findings Mr. Endicott said : — 

In the course of the conference it appeared that under the present 
9-in-ll law the agreement of the men restricts the company from putting 
more than 30 per cent of its schedule runs outside of the eleven outside 
hours; that is, that the company is restricted from laying out more than 
30 per cent of the schedule runs in such a way as to cover the two rush- 
hour periods. The question of modifying this in order that the company 
might have available during the morning rush hours and the afternoon 
rush hours, but not for a platform period of longer than nine hours, sub- 
stantially all the regular men on the road, was thoroughly discussed, and 
it was admitted by the union officials that there was much merit in the 
request of the company in this respect, due to the fact that there is abso- 
lutely no question that it is difficult to-day to get the proper type of men 
in sufficient numbers to perform duties of street railway employees and 
to maintain the high standard which has always existed on the road. 
The union officials felt, however, that it would be unwise to endeavor to 
modify the terms of the agreement in this regard, but stated to me, 
without any reservation whatever, that in their full appreciation of this 
condition they intended, both through their international organization 
and local organization, to call strongly to the attention of their member- 
ship the necessity of accepting work at such time in order to provide the 
necessary service for the public, and so that the men may do their share 
towards helping bear the unusual burdens incurred. I am satisfied that 
the company in its endeavor to secure sufficient help to furnish the neces- 
sary service to the public has gone as far as is consistent or wise in remov- 
ing the restrictions and reducing the qualifications necessary for employ- 
ment, and I am convinced in my own mind that the condition which 
prevails elsewhere in this country and abroad, due to the tremendous 
demand for efficient men directly or indirectly involved in war activities, 
will, unless the present employees of the company endeavor to cover 
the two rush-hour periods, make it necessary to employ women as con- 
ductors and in other capacities. 

At a mass meeting of the carmen \\e\d in Tremont Temple 
on February 28, the general officers and members of the 

124 



executive board of Division No. 589, Boston Cannen's 
Union, — having already signed a statement expressing their 
readiness to preserve without change the agreement made 
in 1916, — recommended in a written statement that the 
men accept 2 cents an hour flat increase over their present 
wages for time allowed, until May 1, 1919, at which date 
the three years would have elapsed, saying in part: — 

It is our unanimous judgment that our duty to our country as well as 
to our members requires us to tell our membership that it is the patriotic 
duty of us all to accept Mr. Endicott's recommendation. 

President Brush has shown a commendable sptirit of fairness and 
courtesy in his deaHngs with us, and we hope our members will appre- 
ciate the attitude of both President Brush and the company. 

We want to express our deep sense of gratitude to the Governor, Mr. 
Endicott and Mr. Stevens for the splendid service they have rendered 
in this crisis. 

This recommendation was accepted by the employees 
by a unanimous vote, and the threatened strike, which, if 
it had taken place, would have thrown 8,500 carmen out of 
employment, was entirely averted without a single employee 
leaving his post. 

VIII. Street Railways operated in Worcester, Spring- 
field, Attleboro and Surrounding Towns 

On May 21, 1918, the two-year agreement between the 
Springfield Street Railway Company, the Worcester Con- 
solidated Street Railway, the Milford, iVttleboro & Woon- 
socket Street Railway Company, the Interstate Consoli- 
dated Street Railway, and the Attleboro Branch Railway 
and their employees terminated, and both parties desired 
to extend it for the term of one year with certain modifica- 
tions. Conferences were held between the officials of the 
companies and the representatives of the men, and no 
decision being arrived at, Mr. Endicott at their joint request 
consented to arbitrate the dispute. During the hearings 
before the arbitrator, both sides agreed to certain proposi- 

125 



tions involving payments to extra and spare conductors 
and motoniien with limited hours of labor, which were 
later confirmed in the decision. 

Among other matters adjudicated, the arbitrator, in a 
long and technical decision, made the following specific 
points : — 

1. That conductors should be compensated for extra work in making 
out reports of zone fare collections, with special conditions and Hmita- 
tions, wherever there was no time to do so within the nine liours of the 
working day. This was coupled with the understanding that where 
tickets were issued, simplifying or reducing the work of conductors on 
certain divisions, such reduction should be a basis for reducing the 
allowance given, proportionally to the reduction of the conductor's work 
on such division. 

2. In consideration of the constant increase in the cost of living, and 
the pay of men in similar industries in Massachusetts, 43 cents per hour 
was held to be a fair rate, and should be the rate of wages for the fourth 
and subsequent year of employment after June 1, 1918, for the employees 
of the Worcester Consohdated Street Railway Company. 

Cents. 
The rate for the third year of emplo^inent, . . . . .41 

The rate for the second year of employment, . .40 

The rate for the second six months of employment, ..... 38j 
The rate for the first six months of employment, . . . . .37 

3. As for the employees of the Springfield Street Railway, for the 
fourth and subsequent year, $3.87 per day was held to be a fair daily 
wage; and at the same rate tor the junior grades, the increase would be 
as follows: — 

For the third year, $3 69 

For the second year, . . . . . . . . . 3 60 

For the second six months, . . . . . . . 3 46 

For the first six months, . . . . . . . . . 3 33 

Also that the hourly wage for the Milford, Attleboro and Woonsocket 
Street Railway Company, the Interstate Consolidated Street Railwaj'' 
Company, and the Attleboro Branch Railway Company should be the 
same as that fixed for the Worcester Consolidated Street Railway Com- 
pany. 

4. That the overtime paid for extra work to conductors, messengers 
and motormcn should not be changed on any of the roads. 

5. Requests that every car should be operated by a crew consisting of 

126 



a conductor, motorman and messenger, and that all transportation of 
mail be confined to mail cars exclusively, were both refused. 

6. That the allowance for meal tickets be raised from 50 to 60 cents. 

7. That a change from a nine-hour day to an eight-hour day was at 
that time inadvisable, inasmuch as it would necessitate a complete reor- 
ganization of the street railway's business, and, coming at a critical 
moment in its financial affairs, involve a burden not justified in the 
interest of either the company or the public. 

8. That a definite zone should be established by which traveling time 
should be allowed to trackmen whose work was more than one mile 
distant from the car barn. 

9. The demand that seven-day men should be paid time and one- 
half for Sunday and holiday work, instead of straight time, was refused, 
on the ground that the demand was really one for additional pay and not 
for shorter hours, their established wage being on the proposition that 
they work seven days a week and share with the other employees in a 
general advance in wages under the award. A further reason was that 
it would necessitate a complete reorganization of tlie company's business, 
and involve a burden not justifiable to either the company or the public. 
When employees were called upon to do emergency work on Stindays 
and holidays, a minimum of one day's pay was allowed if the hours com- 
puted on Sunday and holiday rates did not amount to one day. 

10. No preference should be given on seniority basis in the track 
department. 

11. The demand that if during the period covered by the award a 
shorter working day was granted to men in any department, this allow- 
ance should apply to all men working at the same kind of work in such 
department, was refused on the ground that this was not a time to attempt 
readjusting the working hours; that the scarcity of men might require 
a general nine-hour day in certain departments, and that it was not wise 
to discourage uniformity where that was practicable; in short, that the 
whole question was one that ought to be worked out between the men 
and the company, and not a matter in which the arbitrator's award 
could be helpful. 

12. It appearing from the evidence that the wages of the miscellaneous 
employees had been based on no uniform system, they should receive an 
advance in pay of 24 1 per cent over their present wage. 

13. The demand that if during the period covered by the award a 
higher wage is paid to new men entering any department, or a voluntary 
increase granted, the same should apply to men in the same department 
doing the same kind of work, was refused on the ground that in order to 
secure temporary help it was often necessary in an emergency to pay a 
higher rate than that received by permanent men. 

14. The demand that the five minutes allowed to shop men and barn 

127 



men to wash before going to meals and before their relieving time at the 
end of the day's work be increased to ten minutes was refused. 

15. The demand that the present system respecting the transporta- 
tion of employees in Springfield sliould apply to all roads mentioned was 
refused. 

16. The demand that when an employee was required to make out an 
accident report on his own time he should be paid 10 cents for each 
report was refused. 

17. The request of ten minutes' time allowance to car crews for taking 
out and putting up cars, and that the schedules be arranged so that the 
full running time should be allowed the first trips in the morning and 
the last trips at night, was refused on the ground that in consideration 
of the advance in wages this demand if granted would work an undue 
hardship upon the company. 

18. The demand that Sunday and holiday runs should be scheduled 
so that the maximum for a day's work be completed inside of ten con- 
secutive hours, and that night cars operating between midnight and 
6 A.M. should receive one day's pay, were both refused as at present 
unwise and involving readjustment of service and wages. 

Subject to the modifications above given, the original 
agreement was extended until June 1, 1919. 

It is unnecessary to point out how serious a menace 
to the transportation interests of the State, and all thereby 
involved, was removed by this arbitration. 



IX. Telepho^ie Operators outside Metropolitan 

Boston 

On March 2, 1918, a strike was threatened by the tele- 
phone operators in different cities throughout the New 
England States, the result of which, if it had taken place, 
would have paralyzed the whole system of telephone com- 
munication and most seriously interfered not only with 
regular business, but with all the war work in which the 
State of Massachusetts was engaged. 

The question in dispute was the classification of the 
exchanges in some fourteen cities outside of metropolitan 
Boston, together with the subject of wage increase in all 
other exchanges, not only in Massachusetts but in Maine, 

128 



New Hampshire and Vermont, and involved from 4,000 to 
5,000 employees, mostly women. Added to this was the 
reclassification of the exchanges in Fitchburg and Taunton, 
Mass., and of those in Bangor and Lewiston, Me. A com- 
promise had been offered by the company, but rejected. 
A poll of the operators had also been taken, and about 
3,500 votes were cast in favor of a strike. The situation 
had been brought to the attention of the State Board of 
Conciliation and Arbitration by a committee appointed to 
represent seventeen locals of the Telephone Operators' 
Unions throughout New England, without any immediate 
result being accomplished. 

On March 5 a telegram was received from the Navy 
Department requesting Mr. Endicott to use his good offices 
in ending the disagreement, on the especial ground that 
the "transaction of navy work in many localities requires 
continuous service of telephones." On the same day a 
similar telegram was received by him from the Secretary 
of War, stating that "any interruption of telephone service 
would result in a most serious consequence in the execution 
of this Department's war program," and requesting him 
to take such steps as he deemed appropriate to bring about 
an immediate adjustment. 

Several conferences were held at Mr. Endicott's office 
between the officials of the company and the representatives 
of the Telephone Operators' Union. On March 6 an agree- 
ment was reached establishing the following schedules of 
wages, which were to remain in effect for at least a year, 
with the added provision that during the continuance of 
the war all further questions of wage differences which 
could not be settled between the parties should be adjusted 
by arbitration : — 

Schedule AA. — During training period, $5; on assignment as operator, 
$6; at end of three months, $7; six months, $8; nine months, $9; one 
year, $10; one and one-half years, $10.50; two years, $11; three years, 
$12; four j^ears, $13; five years, $14; six years, $15; seven j'ears, $16. 

Schedule A. — During training period, $5; on assignment as operator, 

129 



$6; at end of three months, $7; six months, $8; nine months, $8.50; 
one year, $9; one and one-half years, $9.50; two years, $10; two and 
one-half years, $10.50; three years, $11; three and one-half years, $11.50; 
four years, $12; five years, $12.50; six years, $13.50; seven years, $14.50. 

Hcliechdc B. — During training period, $4; on assignment as operator, 
$6; at end of three months, $7; end of six months, $8; nine months, 
$8.50; one year, $9; two years, $10; three years, $11; four years, $12; 
five years, $12.50; six years, $13; seven years, $13.75. 

Schedule C. — During training period, $4; on assignment as operator, 
$6; end of three months, $6.50; six months, $7.50; nine months, $8; one 
year, $8.50; one and one-half years, $9; two years,- $10; three years, 
$11; four years, $11.50; five j'ears, $12; six years, $13. 

Schedide D. — During training period, $4; assignment as operator, 
$6; end of three months, $6.50; end of six months, $7.50; nine months, 
$8; one year, $8.50; two years, $9.50; three years, $10; four years, 
$10.50; five years, $11; six years, $12, 

Schedule E. — During training period, $4; on assignment as operator, 
$6; end of three months, $6.50; six months, $7; nine months, $8; one 
year, $8.50; two years, $9; three years, $9.50; four years, $10; five 
years, $11. 

Schedules AA and A to be eflFeetive from the first day of the first week 
of February, 1918; other schedules to be effective from the first day of 
the first week in March, 1918. 

Both parties, in a statement signed by their representa- 
tives, expressed their appreciation of the services rendered, 
recognizing them as prompted by a spirit of patriotic pubHc 
interest and conducted in a manner requiring pubHc acknowl- 
edgment. 

On the question of classification the existing conditions 
were allowed to remain. 

In this connection it might be said that two or three 
months previously a somewhat similar controversy between 
the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company and 
its Boston operators was settled in conference, in accordance 
with the suggestions offered by Mr. Endicott, satisfactorily 
to both sides, although as in previous cases a mediator had 
previously been sent by the government to look into the 
situation, but without avail. 



130 



X. Coal Teamsters of Boston and Vicinity 

About the 1st of October, 1917, members of the Coal 
Teamsters, Chauffeurs' and Wharfmen's Union presented 
new demands to certain coal dealers in Boston and vicinity, 
in substance calling for an increase of $3 a week in wages, a 
nine-hour working day, double time on Sundays and holi- 
days, with Saturday afternoon off from April 1 to October 1. 
The question being left to Mr. Endicott, after a conference 
of both sides he awarded the men an increase of $2 per 
week. 

On May 15, 1918, the matter again came up, and after 
certain issues between the parties had been settled by agree- 
ment, Mr, Endicott, having been appointed arbitrator by 
both sides, rendered a decision, the chief points of which 
were as follows : — 

That the work of teamsters, chauffeurs and wharfmen in the coal 
business did not require the steady appHcation usually found in trades 
which are limited to an eight-hour day; nor did such work make a constant, 
unremitting demand upon either the minds or the bodies of the men; and, 
taking into consideration the condition of the industrial world and the 
withdrawal from it of so many men for military service, it was not advis- 
able to shorten the nine-hour day at that time existing. 

That overtime should begin at 5.30 p.m. instead of 5.45 p.m. 

The rate of wages in force, that offered by the coal dealers, and that 
requested by the men, as well as the rate established by Mr. Endicott, 
are shown in the f oUowuig table : — 



Occupation 


Rate now 

in Force 

(Per Week) 


Offered by 
Employers 
(Per Week) 


Demanded 

by Men 
(Per Week) 


Established 

by Mr. 

Endicott 

(Per Week) 


One-horse teamsters 

Two-horse teamsters, .... 
Three-horse teamsters, 

Wharfmen, 

Electric truck chauffeurs, . 
Gas truck chauffeurs, 


$■18 
19 
21 

18 
20 
22 


S20 
21 
23 
20 
22 
24 


S21 
22 
24 
22 

25 
25 


$21 
22 
24 
21 
23 
24 



This scale was established by a comparison of wages existing in like 
employment. 

131 



Saturdai/ Half Holidays 

The demand that the existing half hohday, during the six months 
from April 1 to October 1, be changed to 12 o'clock at noon on Saturday 
throughout the year was denied. 

Employees when called upon to work on a holiday should receive 
double their regular pay. 

It was further decided that the new wage should not be 
retroactive, beginning May 1, 1918, as demanded by the 
men, but should take effect at the time when the new agree- 
ment embodying this scale should be in force, viz., from 
May 15, 1918, and be operative until May 1, 1919. 

The issues involved in this strike were very far-reaching. 
Given the severest winter in the history of the Nation, with 
the urgent demands of the navy and government ships, 
together with the requirements of the ammunition plants 
and factories engaged in war work, a few days' delay would 
have paralyzed the efficiency necessary in a great emer- 
gency. It is vastly to the credit of our working men and 
the dealers that in the movement and transportation of 
coal during the whole period of the war emergency not one 
day's time was lost on account of labor troubles. 

XI. Lowell Textile Mills 

On May 28, 1918, the employees in the Merrimac, Boott, 
Massachusetts, Hamilton, Appleton, Tremont and Suffolk 
mills in Lowell, through their representatives, made a de- 
mand on the owners for an increase in wages of 15 per cent, 
said increase to go into effect on June 17, 1918. The Man- 
chester, N. H., and the Pawtucket, R. L, mills also were 
indirectly involved. In response to this request a general 
increase in wages was made of 10 per cent, and this not 
being satisfactory to the employees, a strike followed. This 
strike involved about 15,000 hands, composed principally of 
loomfixers and slasher tenders, and indirectly their going 
out affected the whole mill industry in Massachusetts, com- 
prising about 350,000 hands. The result was an immediate 

132 



and serious menace to the government, which was in great 
need of cloth for our soldiers and sailors, and largely depend- 
ent on the ability of these manufacturers to supply the same. 

On July 3 Mr. Endicott received a telegram from Mr. 
Baker, Secretary of War, asking him to use his good offices 
towards reconciling the contentions in these mills, "in order 
that the soldiers who are so rapidly being sent to France 
shall be adequately equipped. It is vital that maximum 
production in New England textile mills be resumed at the 
earliest possible date." 

In pursuance of a request from both the parties in interest, 
Mr. Endicott consented to arbitrate the contention between 
them, each side agreeing to abide by whatever decision he 
made. After a conference called in Lowell on July 5, which 
lasted several hours, an award was rendered that, consider- 
ing the cost of living, it was only reasonable that the wages 
of the employees in these mills should be fixed at an amount 
equal to 15 per cent above that which they had been paid 
prior to June 17, 1918. In his opinion, Mr. Endicott said: — 

What is of far greater importance in this critical moment of the history 
of our country than any exact determination of a wage scale is the assur- 
ance that in the future tliere shall be absolutely no interruption in the 
production of the textile mills of Lowell as long as the war shall last. This 
is of equal and fundamental importance both to the mill owners and to 
their employees. It is also vital in order that the men who are fighting 
for our safety may be properly clothed and equipped. 

Therefore it is with the deepest satisfaction that I here record the 
solemn agreement entered into to-night before witnesses by all parties at 
the hearing, on behalf of themselves and of all persons and organizations 
whom they represent, that they and their respective organizations and 
associates, in order to ensure continuity of production to the capacity 
of the mills throughout the war, will submit any future questions or 
issue between the mills, or any of them, and their employees to the 
United States War Labor Board, and if that body is not in existence to 
some equally responsible tribunal to be agreed upon between them at 
the time; and that in no event shall there be cessation of work either 
pending the decision of that Board or as the result of its action. In 
other words, it is now impossible that hereafter, as long as the war shall 
last, there shall be a lockout or strike in any textile mill in Lowell. 

133 



After the decision was read a unanimous vote was passed 
by both parties thanking Mr. Endicott for his services, and 
in accordance with the original agreement the men went at 
once to work the next morning. 

XII. American Woolen Company Mills 

About the first of July, 1918, the Wood, Washington and 
Ayer mills of the American Woolen Company, employing 
about 15,000 hands and turning out daily approximately 
50,000 yards of cloth for the government, were involved in 
a controversy affecting the weavers, in number about 1,800, 
and the latter went on strike, thus directly involving the 
labor of all the remaining employees. 

The weavers sought the abolition of the premium system 
in force at the mills, and the substitution therefor of a per- 
centage of the standard wage sufficient to put their regular 
weekly wage on a par with what they were already receiving 
with the premium; that is, the elimination of the previous 
system, and in its place an increase of 55 per cent in wage. 
The company took the position that the weavers, in addition 
to their regular weekly wage, were receiving under the 
premium system a bonus which averaged about 44 per cent. 
On the other hand, the men contended that the premium 
system caused much friction, and that the way it worked 
out was not satisfactory from the standpoint of either em- 
ployer or employees; moreover, that the latter in many 
instances felt that they received much less in their envelopes 
on Saturday night than they had a right to expect and 
were entitled to. The weavers also demanded that when 
weaving on 8'2 and 72 inch looms, the prices paid them for 
the cloth woven on the smaller looms should be the same as 
for that woven on the larger looms. 

On July 8 Mr. Endicott received the following tele- 
gram : — 



134 



Washington, D. C. 

H. B. Endtcott, Executive Manager, Committee of Public Safety, State 
House, Boston, Mass. 
Cessation of production in mills of American Woolen Company at 
Lawrence of serious import to program for furnishing supplies to troops. 
]\Iay I request you to take such steps as seem to you desirable looking 
toward the earliest possible return to work on the part of strikers and 
the settlement of the dispute on the most permanent basis possible. 

Newton D. Baker, 
Secretary of War. 

At the request of both parties Mr. Endicott went to 
Lawrence, where the questions at issue were exhaustively 
gone into; and on July 9 the following agreement, drafted by 
Mr. Endicott, was signed by Mr. Wood as president of the 
company, and a committee of fourteen in behalf of the 
men : — 

First. — The company shall forthwith abolish the system of payment 
by premium which has heretofore been in force in the weaving depart- 
ment of the three mills above named. 

Second. — The company shall forthwith pay to its weavers, in addition 
to the price list now in force, a further wage equal to 50 per cent on the 
present price list. 

Third. — When government work of the same class is being woven on 
82-inch and 72-inch looms, both of which are tended by the same man, 
the price for the cloth woven on the small loom shall be the same as the 
price paid for the cloth woven on the large loom. 

Fourth. — The weavers shall return to work immediately, or not later 
than Thursday morning, July 11, at the usual opening hour of the mills, 
and shall use their best effort to serve the company loyally and maintain 
continuity of production to the capacity of the mills. 

Fifth. — The company shall receive all weavers of the mills above 
named without any discrimination because of any absence from work 
during the past week or service on any committee. 

Sixth. — - All future issues between the company and the weavers at 
the mills above named which may occur during the continuance of the 
waT" shall be referred for settlement to the Secretary of War of the United 
States, and no lockout and no strike shall be declared by the company 
or by any weavers pending the decision, or as the result of his action. 



135 



This award might have given rise to captious criticism, on 
the ground that under its ruling the inefficient workmen 
received the same pay as the efficient men, and that thus 
the incentive was removed to do good work and to increase 
the production. But it must be remembered that the entire 
work done at Lawrence was on a piece basis, and that this 
was the only real question in the entire controversy. This 
so-called premium or bonus system had been the cause of 
friction for several years. It might be well, therefore, to 
explain the arbitrator's reasoning on so technical a question. 
As gathered from letters and statements made by him at 
the time and since, investigations showed that the working 
of the premium system was unsatisfactory to both employer 
and employee, and that time and time again it happened 
that the employee, according to his way of figuring, believed 
that he was entitled to considerable more compensation 
than his envelope showed on Saturday night. Moreover, to 
figure the correct bonus in any given case and obtain an 
accurate result required something more than average intelli- 
gence. If the employee did not find in his envelope what in 
his judgment was his due, he became dissatisfied. It there- 
fore appeared wiser that all premiums and bonuses should 
be abolished, and that a man should know accurately what 
he was to receive on Saturday night, provided he had done 
a full week's work. 

Moreover, the premium system might easily work a dis- 
tinct injustice to the weaver, who considered it as jjart of 
his regular wage, since, should he be injured, his compensa- 
tion was based on the regular scale of wages without the 
premium, and the accident insurance which he received was 
adjusted on the basic wage and not on the total amount 
which he earned. 

Again, a first-class weaver might work industriously the 
greater j^art of the week, and yet, because of a break in his 
machine, not due to any fault of his own, the output from 
his loom might be insufficient to entitle him to any premium. 
He would therefore lose not only the time that his machine 

136 



was idle, but also the bonus which he had deserved for 
steady work throughout the remainder of the week. 

Under Mr. Endicott's award the weavers received a 
definite wage per yard for every yard woven. This at once 
naturally gave every incentive for a man to weave the last 
yard possible, and it was to be expected that the production 
of a mill would be greatly stimulated under the straight 
piece-price proposition. The mills woidd know their exact 
cost of production, and the men would know perfectly what 
was coming to them, and the amount thereof would be 
dependent entirely on their own industry and efficiency. 

It was somewhat ludicrous to hear intelligent men say 
that anybody could settle the differences between capital 
and labor if the employer was bound in advance to accept 
the award and labor was then granted all that it asked. 
In this connection it must be remembered that the employers 
have generally realized the necessity of meeting the high 
cost of living with increased wages, and that in all the 
strikes with which Mr. Endicott had anything to do, he 
made it an absolute rule — departed from in but two cases 
of great exigency — never to enter into a labor dispute 
except on the joint application of both parties, or on the 
specific request of the United States government. As a 
matter of fact, in 99 per cent of the cases adjusted by him 
both sides requested him to act. 

In no case did the employees receive all that they re- 
quested. In certain cases involving a very large number 
of hands, where the wage scale had recently been advanced 
and where it was found that the rate of pay was as high as 
that given by competitors, Mr. Endicott refused absolutely 
every demand made by the men. For example, in the Lynn 
strike 1,000 girls, out of 15,000 hands, were the only ones to 
receive an advance. 

Still further, in only two cases did either side attempt to 
break the preliminary agreement to abide by the arbitrator's 
decision, and in each of these the attempt received so little 
support that it fell flat. 

137 



Mr. William M. Wood, president of the American Woolen 
Company, in a statement given out by him shortly after 
Mr. Endicott had rendered his decision, said: — - 

The settlement of tlie Lawrence strike by INIr. Endicott was such as 
to be perfectly satisfactory to both sides. The premium system was a 
source of irritation to the weavers and no great benefit to us. We have 
had a splendid opportunity to compare figures on efficiency between our 
mills in which the premium system was used and our other mills, and 
have arrived at the conclusion that it did not promote efficiency. It 
was, therefore, to the best interests of all that it should be abolished. 
The weavers have been compensated for the loss of the premium by a 
50 per cent advance in the weaving schedule, the average rate of wages 
thus having been maintained at approximately the same level. 

It was the conviction of both Mr. Endicott and those 
associated with him that at least 75 per cent of the diffi- 
culties between labor and capital which came under his 
arbitration would easily have been avoided if both sides 
could have had that confidence in each other that is neces- 
sary between employer and employee to ensure uninter- 
rupted work and steady production. It was Mr. Endicott's 
earnest endeavor to eradicate the existing distrust as far as 
possible, believing that by so doing the danger of inter- 
ruption of business would be very much minimized. He 
had always in his own business been governed by the 
principle that the difference in quality and amount pro- 
duced by satisfied labor over that produced by dissatisfied 
labor would yield all the profit needed. 

It was also found, in all these troubles, that it was not 
the intent of the employer to be unreasonable, and that 
this was likewise the attitude of the representatives of 
organized and unorganized labor. Both sides, their loyalty 
once appealed to, responded promptly, realizing that it was 
their duty as far as in them lay to arrive at a satisfactory 
understanding. The resultant fact, that in all the labor 
difficulties brought to Mr. Endicott for arbitration and in 
which he took a hand there was not a single failure to bring 
about a satisfactory ending, seems to prove that when in a 

138 



labor difficulty the right principle is pointed out, both 
sides to the controversy will generally follow it, whether it 
is a question of time, duties or wages. 

Computed conservatively, the amount of saving to Mas- 
sachusetts and the Nation by avoiding through these arbitra- 
ments an interruption of work must have reached a sum 
between forty and fifty millions of dollars, at least. At the 
same time, between 300,000 and 500,000 men and women 
— during a time of great labor unrest and of national 
emergency and excitement, and when the cost of living was 
unprecedented — were fairly paid for their labor, and, work- 
ing under a mutual agreement between themselves and 
their employers, remained contented and cheerful. 



139 



Part III 



MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES 

Part I has dealt more particularly with organization and 
the results obtained by preparatory and certain special 
committees; in general with activities of the Committee on 
Public Safety either finished or in process of completion 
prior to our entering the war, April 6, 1917; the federaliza- 
tion of our troops, July 28; and their departure, September 
7 of the same year. 

Part II has covered the Committee's relation to labor 
controversies and arbitrations. 

The activities of the Committee (Part III) admit of no 
dividing line concisely drawn, the general character of work 
having continued much the same from the Committee's 
formation to the time it was dissolved. But it should be 
borne in mind that in July and October, 1917, two important 
changes took place in its scope and management. In the 
first place, a new and exacting line of work devolved upon 
the Comjnittee through Mr. Hoover's appointment on 
July 11 of Mr. Endicott to be Federal Food Administrator 
for New England, — confirmed by the President August l-l, 
— and the establishment of Food Conservation Committees 
throughout the State as functionaries of the Committee. 
On the same date, July 11, Mr. Endicott was appointed 
by Governor McCall to be State Food Administrator for 
Massachusetts. 

It automatically followed that the work of the already 
existing Preparatory Committee on Food Production and 
(Conservation was at once merged in the larger responsibility 
imposed by State and Nation. As Mr. Endicott already 
possessed in the Committee on Public Safety an organiza- 

140 



tion with a personnel on which he could rely, the Food 
Administration was carried on by him in conjunction with 
the Committee on Public Safety. 

Secondly, in the early autumn, another and far-reaching 
change took place in the Committee's affairs. For several 
months previous Mr. Storrow had found himself obliged to 
devote his main efforts to dangers involved by the threaten- 
ing deficit in coal. As chairman of the Committee on 
Public Safety he had directed its course from the beginning, 
and guided it through many a dangerous pathway with 
conspicuous ability and success, when, on October 3, 1917, 
he took, as will appear later, the entire charge of the Fuel 
Administration throughout New England by virtue of both 
Federal and State appointments. A "complete overturn was 
thus brought about in the conduct of the Committee, as 
Mr. Storrow was forced to give his undivided attention to 
the new duties to which he was committed, and to place 
upon other shoulders the burdens he had so long borne in 
behalf of the general work of the Committee. The Fuel 
Committee thereafter, with Mr. Storrow as its chairman, 
although germane to the general purposes of the Committee 
on Public Safety, was carried on independently of the latter 
in separate though connecting rooms, with a newly appointed 
personnel of paid and volunteer workers. Mr. Storrow con- 
tinued to retain the chairmanship of the Committee he had 
done so much to create and build up, was consulted on 
important matters, and, on the few occasions when he could 
make it possible, presided at meetings of the Executive 
Committee. 

Mr. Endicott, who from the beginning had been the 
executive manager of the Committee, now took the entire 
guidance of its activities in addition to his Food Administra- 
tion duties. Indeed, so closely did the general work of the 
Committee become interrelated with that of the Food 
Administration that their separation would have been well- 
nigh impossible. On the other hand, the program as laid 
out by the Fuel Committee involved distinct functions, in 

141 



no way connected with those heretofore carried on by the 
Committee on PiibUc Safety. 

With this explanation in regard to the administrative 
conditions governing its work, certain miscellaneous ac- 
tivities of the Committee on Public Safety will now be 
related. 



142 



CHAPTER I 

COMMITTEE ON THE SOLICITATION OF FUNDS FOR 
PATRIOTIC PURPOSES 

The Committee on the SoHcitation of Funds for Patriotic 
Purposes was appointed on March 4, 1918, as follows: — 

George H. Lyman, Chairman. 
George A. Rich, Vice-Chairman. 
Joseph G. Minot, Secretary. 



Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 
Mrs. Roger Wolcott. 
Mrs. Charles E. Mason. 
Mrs. George R. Fearing. 
Mrs. F. Lothrop Ames. 
Miss Dorothy Forbes. 
Robert Winsor. 

Rev. Paul Revere Frothingham. 
Adjt.-Gen. Jesse F. Stevens. 



J. Frank O'Hare. 
Stillman F. Kelley. 
L. B. Hayes. 
Walter C. Baylies. 

A. C. Ratshesky. 
James J. Phelan. 

B. Preston Clark. 
Jesse S. WUev. 



The occasion for this Committee and the work which it 
was expected to do were set forth in a bulletin issued at the 
time by Mr. Endicott and the chairman, reading in part as 
follows : — 

In our judgment there are very many societies which are duplicating 
the work ot already existing agencies, and are spending their time, their 
money and their energies without being of the least help to our country 
in this occasion of need. There are also societies which we believe are so 
unbusinesslike that the cost of collecting funds and the cost of doing busi- 
ness take a very large share of the money which each person contributes. 
There are undoubtedly other organizations which solicit funds for im- 
proper purposes. 

Therefore, realizing the danger of duplication, and the danger of inef- 
ficiency, and the danger of wastefulness and dishonesty, a sub-committee 
of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety has been appointed to 
take active steps to have properly supervised all such appeals, in order to 
ensure as far as possible in behalf of the generous giver to patriotic societies 
that the particular cause itself is worthy, and that the management of the 
funds shall be economical and their final disposition follow accredited 
channels. 

143 



The Committee had its first general meeting on March 
11, 1918, and met for the last time on November 8, 1918, 
being in existence almost exactly eight months. During 
that period something like 3G6 different activities were 
investigated, 80 of which were examined very thoroughly. 

The Committee divided its investigations into four 
classes : — 

1. Organizations which appeared distinctly fraudulent. 
These were generally turned over to the district attorney 
for such action as he deemed advisable. 

2. Those where overlapping and duplication of effort 
appeared, causing an unnecessary amount of overhead 
charges. 

3. Those purely commercial in their nature. 

4. Those which, though honest, were so poorly managed 
that the beneficiaries received but a small part of the con- 
tributions. 

The second class required, when possible, an adjustment 
of interests which was often quite difficult to bring about. 
The third class was not held to be dishonest in character, 
but there always exists a certain body of professional men 
and women who make, year after year, a good income by 
promoting various charities, receiving either a large salary 
or working on a percentage basis which sometimes realizes 
more than 50 per cent of the total amount collected. For 
example, an instance came to the attention of the Com- 
mittee where $25,000 was admittedly the average percentage 
yearly received by one such promoter, and yet his tran- 
sactions appeared to be both honest and open. It was a 
purely business matter with him, which, however it may be 
classified in times of peace, was pernicious in a crisis whea 
moneys given for charitable purposes should be conserved 
as far as humanly possible. 

The Committee's investigations covered not only Massa- 
chusetts, but New York and Pennsylvania as well, for it 
was found that a significant interlocking of methods and 
persons existed between many of the imdesirable organiza- 

144 



tions. New York City, particularly, was the headquarters 
for much questionable solicitation, and from this center 
both appeals and agents were sent into all the neighboring 
States. 

The Committee had no recognized legal authority. The 
power it exercised, though very effective, was purely a moral 
influence, generally enhanced by a fear of publicity. 

For the enforcement of its suggestions the Committee 
was dependent mainly upon public sentiment and the co- 
operation of those prominent in business and social affairs. 
Recourse to the courts was deemed advisable only when 
there was evidence of misappropriation of funds, or of 
obtaining money under false pretenses. Moreover, in the 
absence of any legal requirement for keeping and verifying 
accounts showing sums collected and disbursed, misappro- 
priation was not a matter readily susceptible of proof. How- 
ever, some such authoritative supervision was exercised by 
most of the other States, but in three only was this based 
on specific legislative authority. The State of Illinois very 
early adopted a system of licenses, and held solicitors of 
funds for such purposes to a strictly legal accounting. 

Without doubt this last method would have been the 
more direct and businesslike procedure, for there is no ques- 
tion that in Massachusetts alone considerable sums of 
money were wasted or dishonestly appropriated while the 
slower methods of elimination and adjustment were going 
forward. Large amounts might have been saved to the 
givers or conserved for more worthy causes had legal super- 
visory regulations been instituted from the beginning. Dis- 
trict Attorney Swann of New York, in a report on the 
investigations of his office in relation to this group of war 
activities, estimated that in a period of twelve months there 
was a loss to the general public through theft and misappro- 
priation of more than $3,000,000, and these losses were 
occasioned by fraud, simply, and were exclusive of wastage 
through extravagant and inefficient management. 

Yet despite these limitations it may be said with some 

145 



certainty that the method of supervision alone resulted in a 
very distinct and marked success, both locally and through- 
out the country. The evidence of this is shown by the fact 
that when supervision was largely discontinued by reason of 
the armistice, partly through the influence of Committees 
on Public Safety, and partly by the force of public opinion, 
the country -wide activities had become consolidated under 
seven major, and less than a dozen minor, organizations, 
while the purely local activities were reduced and co- 
ordinated largely on a community basis. The most difficult 
problem which the Committee had to deal with in Massa- 
chusetts w^as that of the individual who sought to exploit 
the patriotic sympathies of the public for his or her selfish 
or mercenary purposes. Even here, in the end, and as a 
result of the Committee's work, the public was largely 
spared from calls, under the guise of helping the war-stricken, 
to provide such seekers with a position or a salary. 

The wonderfid generosity and readiness of the citizens of 
Massachusetts in services and contributions to war charities 
demanded every safeguard the Committee was able to offer 
for their protection and the conservation of their money to 
the best uses. With that end in view steps were at once 
taken to direct public attention to the Committee's real 
purpose, and to invoke that assistance which every one was 
able to render. Letters were addressed by the chairman to 
the sub-committees of the Committee on Public Safety 
throughout the Commonwealth, in which it was stated: — 

I hope you will look into all appeals in your locality, of this general 
character, excepting, of course, those promotions well known and ac- 
credited. When in your judgment any such appeal coming under your 
observation does not meet with your approval, whether on account of its 
object, organization, financial methods, agencies, expenditures, etc., or 
because it overlaps or duplicates an already existing and dependable 
patriotic object; or if for any reason you doubt its usefulness or desirability 
in the line of its proposed activities as the recipient of subscriptions, we 
request that you will notify us at your earliest convenience, giving all 
the information you have in the premises and such suggestions as in your 
judgment may be helpful. 

14G 



Similarly, a form of questionnaire was adopted and sent 
to the various agencies who were known to be soliciting 
funds in the State or planning to do so, the essential points 
of which were : — 

Organization 

1. Names and addresses of the responsible officers; location of prin- 
cipal office; if the organization had its headquarters outside of the State, 
the name and address of its responsible Massachusetts representative. 

2. Names of the principal endorsers of the activity, and a statement as 
to whether these endorsers consented to the use of their names. 

Scope of Activity 

1. Specific purpose of the activity; how organized, and whether the 
proposed beneficiaries had accepted the plan. 

2. The amoiuit of money to be raised, and probable duration of the 
activity. 

3. Proposed method of solicitation, and the nature of the credentials 
given to its authorized agents. 

Business MetJiods 

1. Salaries paid to any officer or agent, direct or contingent. 

2. Actual or estimated expenses per month for labor, rent, stationery, 
printing, postage, etc. 

3. Where the funds collected were deposited; and whether the accounts 
were audited and open to inspection. 

This preliminary inquiry in many cases developed two 
facts, both of which were of importance in checking up 
undesirable enterprises. The first was the unauthorized use 
of names, always a warning signal; and the second, the 
careless lending of names to activities which had not been 
subject to careful investigation by those sponsoring them. 
Naturally, the latter were the more numerous, as the dis- 
honest worker was generally, though not always, too clever 
to lay himself open to quick detection through the printed 
use of unauthorized patrons. But the Committee from time 
to time directed the attention of such sponsors, and more 
particularly if their prominence gave weight to their name, 
to the obligations which they assumed when they gave their 

147 



endorsement to any undertaking of this class which sought 
contributions from the general public. It was in this way 
that certain fonns of entertainment were discouraged, and 
ultimately eliminated, as where the principal end in view 
savored of personal exploitation, and the net results handed 
over to the beneficiaries w^ere bound to be insignificant. 

As to the various activities which, for one reason or 
another, it w^as found necessary to discourage, there is no 
occasion to discuss them in detail. The Committee made it 
a fixed rule not to give approval to any organization, not 
even to the Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., Knights of Columbus, 
Jewish Welfare Board, Salvation Army, or to any of the 
world-wide recognized efficient bodies engaged in charitable 
endeavor. The purpose of this may readily be seen, for if 
no association whatever was formally endorsed, then no 
umbrage could be taken in any specific case, nor injury done, 
by a refusal. Yet the mere fact that the Committee did 
not interfere with an organization collecting money was 
generally and to all intents and purposes equivalent to an 
endorsement. When, after a close examination, an enter- 
prise was judged to be doubtful, and its activities could not 
be stopped, information was given to the papers. 

There were more than one hundred war charity organiza- 
tions regularly working in Massachusetts, independent of 
others which were relatively transitory. Among the former 
were — 



Different societies for the relief of 
American, French, ItaHan, Eng- 
hsh, Armenian, Syrian, wounded, 
bHnd, impoverished, etc. 

The Huguenot Committee. 

The Army ReHef Society. 

Convalescent Home Associations. 

Flying Yacht Clubs. 

Christmas Cheer Fund. 

Poets' Ambulances in Italy. 

Ambulance Relief in Russia. 

Comfort Kit Committee. 



Ball and Bat Fund. 

The Battle Song of Peace. 

French Heroes' Lafayette Memo- 
rial Fund. 

League of Loyal Americans. 

Samaritan Circle of Fatherless 
Chihlren in France. 

Chain Letters. 

Christian Service. 

Association for the Prevention of 
Tuberculosis. 

Cripples' War Relief. 



148 



British Empire Rally Fund. 

War Babies' Cradle. 

Friends of German Democracy. 

Memorial Funds. 

100 per cent Boys. 

League of National Unity. 

American Prisoners in Germany, 

Treasure and Trinket Fund. 

Polish Victims. 

Children's Ambulance Service. 

Aberdeen Fund. 

American Red Star. 

American Military Hospital. 



Bohemian National Alliance. 

Belgian Mission. 

Belgian Artists' Commission. 

British War Relief. 

Finnish League. 

National Allies. 

Lafayette Fund. 

Navy Relief. 

Navy League. 

Stage Women's AVar Relief. 

Naval Reserve. 

Military Naval Reserve. 

Welfare LTnion. 



The Committee's work consisted largely of personal inter- 
views, and of explanation and persuasion verbally or by 
letter. It was found in most cases that, when all the con- 
ditions surrounding any particular proposition had been dis- 
cussed with those concerned, particularly in their bearing 
upon the general emergency situation, the nonessential or 
unimportant ventures were promptly discontinued. It is 
enough, therefore, to mention a few of the special classes of 
organizations which were discouraged, as indicative of the 
vie^T^oint taken by the Committee in its work. 

1. Certain organizations, the propriety of whose aims 
was not questioned, were inclined to adopt special means 
for raising money which were open to criticism both in point 
of taste and of good business. 

For instance, such a plan was that of the promiscuous 
distribution of pencils through the mails, with the names of 
the involuntary recipients printed thereon, and accompanied 
by the request that the same be returned or $1 remitted. 
Many persons were decidedly annoyed by this proceeding, 
while it had also a reactionary effect upon public sentiment 
which was harmful in other directions. This was indicated 
by the many complaining letters received by the Committee. 
Further, in spite of the high price asked for these pencils as 
merchandise, it was not good business. After proper allow- 
ances had been made for the cost of the pencils — for the 



149 



labor, stationery, printing and postage in connection there- 
with, and for failures to respond — the margin remaining 
for beneficiaries was inadequate, as was indiccited by an 
examination of one such account. Indeed, it may be said 
that wherever the Committee found merchandise to be used 
as an ostensible means for getting contributions the plan 
rarely justified itself from any angle. 

2. Again, the sale of "tags" was not without certain 
objectionable features, which the Committee endeavored to 
correct. Naturally, this became a very popular means for 
raising small amounts of money for special or local objects, 
as it required little preliminary preparation and advance 
expenditure. But the facility with which "tag days" could 
be instituted made it easy to secure contributions in this 
wise for purposes not altogether worthy, while the scattered 
public from whom the money was obtained had no way of 
knowing how it was finally disbursed. The dime, or quarter, 
which the tag cost was not enough to arouse upon the part 
of the contributor very much consideration as to the object 
of its use. Cumulatively, the sum raised would amount to 
a great deal. 

Moreover, young girls were largely employed upon the 
streets and at the railroad stations in the sale of these tags. 
This was by no means an unmixed good. In fact, the Com- 
mittee was in co-operation with prominent social workers of 
the State with the idea of formulating more careful regula- 
tions, in the girls' interest, by restricting the hours and 
defining the conditions imder which such sales should be 
made. In this same connection, and presenting possibilities 
far more pernicious, it was found that young girls were 
being solicited, under certain conditions and limitations, to 
volunteer for work in foreign lands, the character of such a 
request on the face of it being, to say the least, doubtful. 
For instance, in one such enterprise a girl would be asked to 
visit headquarters, and when there she was looked over as 
if with a view to appraising her })hysical value. It appeared 
that if she passed muster she was asked to call again, and 

150 



then questioned regarding her age and whether or not she 
was independent of home influences or other control. If 
accepted, she was required to make a deposit of cash in 
order to meet the expenses of being properly trained for 
what was represented as "general relief" work, and at the 
same time instructed that she was not to take abroad with 
her either money or letter of credit. It is needless to say 
that this organization was quickly broken up. 

3. The "chain letter" plan of raising money was dis- 
approved absolutely, and a bulletin issued advising that it 
be "discouraged in every way," the fundamental objection 
being the absence of any definite obligation to any person or 
persons on the part of the promoters. One phase, of this 
irresponsibility was illustrated by early attempts to promote 
such schemes in Massachusetts, of which the two following 
are noticeable examples. One was in the form of an appeal 
for funds for founding a special hospital in France for the 
treatment of wounds in the face and jaw. The second was 
a plan for the sale of war saving stamps. With each proposi- 
tion the name of a prominent and established organization 
was linked; yet both of these organizations denied having 
given the right to use their names. 

4. Under this class came a rather numerous group whose 
objects, even if attained, were not considered essential to 
the needs of the hour, or were not timely, or were covered 
by fully accredited existing agencies. Largely, these were 
what might be described as personal propositions. Many of 
them had no formal organization, but were managed solely 
by their originators. In most cases the money was to be 
spent in some way beneficial to the Allies, which involved 
sending agents to Europe to conduct the work. In the 
absence of convincing reasons all such propositions were dis- 
approved. 

Of this last type was a project for raising funds for certain 
special hospital work in France. A large sum of money for 
this purpose was actually obtained, but later, with the con- 
sent of all concerned, this was turned over to the French 

151 



Ambassador, to be expended under the direction of his 
government. 

Similarly, and in the home field, the activities of the so- 
called United States Boy Scouts, with its various interlock- 
ing organizations, were not a])proved. They were regarded 
as not having a necessary place in the work of the State. 
Investigation convinced the Committee that they were all 
essentially personal enterprises mostly under one general 
directorate, and that the business methods adopted were 
often open to the severest criticism. Further, the un- 
fortunate similarity of name with that of a well-known and 
splendid organization, the Boy Scouts of America, was felt 
to be a real injury to the latter as well as a source of con- 
fusion to the public. 

Well within this class was another scheme, sponsored in 
Washington. About the 1st of May, 1918, the Committee 
was approached by an agent of the Department of Films of 
the Committee on Public Inforuuition at Washington, asking 
its encouragement and financial assistance in promoting a 
four or five days' festival in the thirty larger cities of the 
country, including Boston, at which, for educational and 
informational i)uri)oses, the activities of the army and navy, 
the Red Cross and other patriotic organizations would be 
portrayed. It was proposed, as part of this endeavor, to 
transport from one place to another hundreds of trophies, 
including heavy ordnance captured from the Germans by 
French, British, Canadian and Italian forces, all of which, 
together with soldiers lent by the government and other 
attractions, would stir the patriotism of the people. The 
proceeds derived from the entertainments were to be divided 
on a 50-50 basis wilh the Red Cross. The cost for the Boston 
exhibit alone was calcidated as somewhere in the neighbor- 
hood of $100,000 to $150,000. This venture the Committee 
distinctly disapproved of, on the ground that the expense 
would necessarily come out of the pockets of the people, and 
that the transportation of the properties, as well as of the 
soldiers, would interfere with the carrying on of regular 

152 



business by interrupting and further congesting traffic; 
furthermore, that the amount of labor required, which could 
only come from industries where it was vitally needed and 
could not be spared, was most inadvisable under existing 
conditions; and certainly the doubtful beneficial result, to 
this section of the country at least, would in no wise com- 
pensate for the cost. 

In regard to the amount sought to be collected l)y the 
different organizations, the general and more human principle 
developed was to get all there was in sight ; but where speci- 
fied sums were aimed for, a broad margin of difference 
existe.d. One perfectly honest young colored girl, collecting 
money for colored soldiers, was greatly worried lest she be 
relieved of the 50 cents already given her in driblets, though 
she had dreamed of eventually raising possibly $50 if not 
interfered with. In another more ambitious and apparently 
equally honest case an organization conceived the plan of 
raising $100,000,000, admitting that the overhead charges 
would be at least 50 per cent. 

5. The Committee recorded itself as opposed to the "war 
chest" method of raising money in the State, and this 
position was confirmed at a meeting of the Executive Com- 
mittee of the Committee on Public Safety after very careful 
deliberation. The strongest argument offered in favor of 
the plan was that it conserved energy by concentrating 
money drives to one particular time. On the other hand, 
there were possible and probable losses to be considered 
which were likely to more than offset this gain. 

In the first place, a single drive was likely to produce less 
money than a number of separate ones, and there would be 
lacking the cumulative inspiration which would come from 
a series of appeals. Again, the single campaign would 
afford a refuge for the slacker. As pointed out by the 
Executive Committee: — 

In every community are selfish people who contribute only because 
they will be advertised if they do not. These people can hide to a certain 
extent behind the war chest movement. 

153 



Secondly, it gave no opportunity to contributors to indi- 
cate their preference as to relief agencies. This involved a 
distinct loss of individual interest, — in fact, would be a 
complete surrender of the personal equation. Quoting from 
the letter of a prominent worker, and also contributor to 
war charities : — 

The war chest will, I believe, substitute a relatively cold, impersonal, 
money-gathering and distributing machine for a method which stimulates 
patriotism and makes the giver feel that lie is contributing to a cause 
which appeals to him and stirs his best impulses. Speaking for myself, 
and, I believe, for the majority of people, I prefer to say where my con- 
tributions shall go rather than delegate that contributing privilege to the 
majority vote of a war chest appropriation committee. 

Thirdly, the plan made no provision for unexpected 
occurrences or disasters. 

It is only fair to say, however, that the "war chest" was 
adopted by several cities and towns in the Commonwealth, 
with every indication of probable success, though the early 
signing of the armistice precluded any final determination 
as to its real merits. 

The members of the Committee were unanimous in their 
sense of obligation to Mr. Charles H. Taylor, Jr., of the 
"Boston Globe," who, both through the services courteously 
rendered by his paper and his own constant personal interest 
and effort, materially aided them in their work. 

In regard to statutory authority for the su])ervision exer- 
cised, efforts w^ere made in May, 1918, to secure such legis- 
lation in Massachusetts, but so late in the session that 
nothing was accomplished; also a bill for Federal control 
of all war charities was introduced into Congress by Senator 
John W. Weeks, which likewise did not reach the enactment 
stage. But the Committee put itself on record, as the 
result of its experiences, that, should another such emer- 
gency befall the country, the question of legislative restric- 
tion in the solicitation of funds for patriotic purposes should 
receive early attention; for, however successful supervision 

154 



by way of an educated public opinion — which is, after all, 
merely a psychological influence — might be, it is obtained 
through the expenditure of too much time and money, when 
a more expeditious and permanently binding result would 
be obtained through legislative enactment. 

The purpose of the Committee was to check a prevailing 
evil which curtailed the fuller efficiency demanded for our 
public safety, — a war-time measure to continue during 
hostilities. In its membership the Committee embodied a 
very strong and influential representation of our citizenship, 
as well as of the Committee on Public Safety. In many 
cases its duty was not perfectly clear or well defined ; and its 
efforts, often restricted by the lack of specific legal authority 
to enforce its judgment, required at all times the exercise of 
a thoughtful discretion in order to avoid trampling on the 
rights of others and losing that popular backing which was 
its chief executive power and encouragement. 



155 



CHAPTER II 
COMMITTEE ON NEW ENGLAND SAWMILL UNITS 

"The New England Sawmill Unit was the best sporting 
event that has come to my attention during the war." So 
spoke Lord Lovat, Brigadier-General in charge of lumber 
interests for the British government. 

At the time the United States entered the w^ar Great 
Britain was in sore need of timber. Her available wood- 
lands had been invaded and her immediate lumber supply 
greatly reduced. A similar shortage existed also in all the 
other belligerent countries, even Germany being forced to 
ruthlessly deplete those forests which she had laboriously 
planted and scientifically nursed through several genera- 
tions. The erection of innumerable ammunition plants, 
the building of hospitals, barracks and ordnance depots; 
the manufacture of boxes and shell cases; the increasing 
need for railway mileage for military purposes and for 
making highways passable; the speeding up of mines and 
mills; the construction of trenches; with many other new 
demands incident to modern warfare, all contributed to this 
deficiency. A further drawback was the limited trans- 
portation for overseas service, which, with the menace of 
increasing submarine activities, prevented the United States 
from shipping lumber across the water. So pressing was 
England's need that on April 16, 1917, Col. Vernon Willey 
of the British War Office cabled to Mr. William A. Gaston, 
chairman of the Finance Committee, suggesting that America 
could best help England by sending over experienced lumber- 
men to manufacture lumber for war purposes. 

Compliance with such a sudden and unexpected demand 
called for a wide departure from any activity the Committee 
on Public Safety had heretofore contemplated. But this 
request, coming from so authoritative a source, at once 

156 



caught the interest and enthusiasm of the Executive Com- 
mittee, who on April 23 voted that Mr. Storrow should 
send to Colonel Willey the following message in reply : — 

Understanding that skilled lumbermen are needed in England to sup- 
ply timber for forces in Europe, New England gladly offers its services in 
assembling men and material for ten complete, working, portal>le sawmill 
units, all to be shipped from Boston, each unit to consist of thirty experi- 
enced men, with portable sawmill, ten suitable horses, harness, wagons, 
saws, axes, or other tools and camp equipment, ready for business on 
landing; men, all civilian volunteers, with capable men in general charge. 
The cost of the portable mill, horses and of equipment, including freight 
and other expenses to steamer side, about, and not over, $10,000 per unit; 
wages per month per unit about $'2,000. Have not yet consulted lumber 
companies because not certain English government would desire these 
outfits, but we are sure New England would want to contribute five of 
these outfits, delivered at the steamer's side. We assume, if desired, the 
English government could arrange space on steamer sailing from Boston. 
We prefer men and outfits to be all together on the same steamer. 

An immediate acceptance of this offer was received by 
telegram through the British Embassy at Washington : — 

The War Offices are most pleased to accept Mr. Storrow's offer, and 
request that this acceptance should be communicated to him, and ask for 
a date on which the transport for these units should be provided. 

A corroboration of the above came by letter a few days 
later. 

British Embassy, Washington, May 15, 1917. 

Sir: — I have received a telegram from the Foreign Office stating that 
the War Offices accept with gratitude your generous offer of ten complete 
sawmill units for work in England. The War Offices request me to convey 
to you an expression of their high appreciation of the very welcome co- 
operation of the New England States in this matter, and I wish to add a 
word of personal thanks to the gentleman who initiated a movement of 
such immense practical importance to the successful prosecution of the 
great struggle in which our two Nations are so happily united. 

I have the honor to be, Sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

Cecil Spring-Rice. 

157 



On receipt of the wire from the Embassy the proposal was 
taken up directly with the War Department at Washington, 
and the Secretary of War advised going ahead without 
further delay or more formal authorization. Correspondence 
then ensued with the Governors of Maine, New Hampshire, 
Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, all of whom 
gave full assurances of their sympathy with the project, 
and their desire to co-operate to the best of their ability. 

In the meantime Mr. James J. Phelan, who had had long 
experience in the lumber business, and whose inspiring 
energy was from first to last the mainspring of the whole 
enterprise, formulated a general plan which he offered to 
the Committee, by whose authorization he later presented 
it to a gathering of lumber men. The latter quickly formed 
an organization to put the proposition through, with Mr. 
W. A. Brown of the Berlin Mills Company as chairman, 
and Mr. Phelan as vice-chairman, and, assisting them, Mr. 
F. W. Rane, State Forester of Massachusetts, and Mr. H. G. 
Philbrook of the Connecticut Valley Lumber Company. 
Many well-known lumbermen and State Foresters of New 
England volunteered for service, and devoted a great deal 
of time and thought toward making the undertaking a 
success. Headquarters were established in the Committee 
on Public Safety's rooms at the State House, where all the 
details of organization, transportation and equipment were 
carried through under the general direction of Mr. Phelan, 
Mr. Brown and Mr. Philbrook. 

Within a month l^^ horses and 10 portable sawmills 
were purchased. The above were fully outfitted, the equip- 
ment numbering over 2,000 different articles. During the 
same period more than 350 men were enlisted. Funds 
raised by subscription, and amounting to $130,000, were 
formally presented as a "gift from New England to Old 
England," — a unique example of the former's good will 
and patriotism. Of this sum, each of the six New England 
States agreed to furnish $1''2,000. The balance was secured 
from 77 firms, corporations and individual subscriptions, in 

158 



sums varying from $10 to $5,000, supplemented by a gift 
from the Committee on Public Safety of $^2,017.47. 

Notwithstanding the difficulty of holding together during 
the three days' wait prior to their departure so large an 
aggregate of lumber jacks, — many of them fresh from the 
remote back woods, and all anxious to investigate the attrac- 
tions of our Boston town, — nevertheless, without the loss 
of a man, the Sawmill Units set sail for England on June 15, 
1917, the men traveling on rations as British soldiers. They 
comprised the first organized body of American lumbermen 
to respond for service overseas. Each man was under 
separate contract with the British government, his term of 
service to expire on June 15, 1918, at which time the British 
government agreed to send back to the United States any 
man who so desired. 

At a farewell banquet given to them at the City Club, 
Boston, on the eve of their departure. Governor McCall 
said: — 

This movement is a most remarkable one, and one of the most splendid 
contributions that our country could make to the war. It means com- 
fortable buildings erected for the wounded back of the lines. It means 
the rapid restoration of bridges necessary for military strategy. It means 
trenches lined with wooden sheathing which will obviate to a great extent 
the unpleasantness of mud. It means the accomplishment of work for 
which the Allies have neither available nor trained men. There is no body 
of men who will contribute more to the success of the Allied cause than 
you whom I see before me, and I think you should feel that you are as 
much America's contribution to the war as if you wore a uniform and 
carried a gun. 

On July 4, 1917, the contingent disembarked at Liverpool, 
and after a journey of five hundred miles, the following day 
reached Argday, Rosshire, Scotland, a small village on the 
Dornoch Firth, about fifty miles north of Inverness. There 
was a slight delay in the arrival of the equipment, but 
July 28 witnessed the first board ever sawed on foreign soil 
by an organized body of Americans. By the middle of 
August the entire outfit was in full action. Timber tracts 

159 



chosen for operation were on mill sites, situated in north- 
eastern Rosshire and southeastern Sutherlandshire, and all 
were comprehended within a radius of five miles from the 
units' headquarters at x\rgday. Seven of the units operated 
on the estate of Sir Charles Ross, the inventor of the Ross 
Rifle, and three on the Skibo Castle property of Andrew 
Carnegie. The greater part of these tracts had once been 
cut over to supply lumber for the Napoleonic Wars, and the 
replanted trees, now nearly a centuiy old, had attained to a 
magnificent size, offering a high-grade dimension lumber. 
All together they were supposed to carry about '■24', 000, 000 
feet of timber. 

Lumber production began in August, each unit being 
organized as follows : — 



Woods : — 

Four to 5 head choppers. 

Four to 5 second choppers. 

Four to 5 swampers. 

Four to 5 teamsters. 
General : — 

Cook. 

Cookee. 

Blacksmith. 



Foreman and clerk. 
Mill: — 

Millwright. 

Sawyer. 

Unloader and scaler. 

Roll-on man. 

Take-away man. 

Checker. 

Fireman. 

Slab-and-fuel man. 

Teamster. 

Lumber sticker. 

Each unit plant consisted of the following : — 

Portable steam sawmill, t)oiler and engine. 
Buildings: — 

Cook house, sleeping camps, stable, blacksmith shop and outbuildings. 
Camp equipment: — 

Complete kitchen and dining-room utensils, camp bedding and neces- 
sary supplies. 
Ten to twelve horses. 
Woods outfit : — 

Crosscut saws, axes, wedges, hammers, cant dogs, scoots and sleds. 
Wagons were used for hauling lumber from mill units and for mill 
supplies. A few logging trucks were available for transporting logs 
from main highways to the mills, though very little use was found for 
wagons in the woods. 

KJO 




Sawing Lumber 




Bunk House 



During the first nine and one-half months of operating 
time 20,000,000 board feet of Imnber were produced, in- 
cluding railroad ties, dimension lumber and mine props. 
Over 60,000 railroad ties were made, and a quantity of 
special dimension lumber sawed for army and navy special 
construction purposes; and in addition a large volume of 
sidings and larger dimension sizes were shipped to resawing 
plants to be manufactured into munition boxes. All of this 
timber was cut on private estates, and consisted in the 
main of Scotch pine, larch and Norway spruce. The trees 
were felled on land so steep as to require the use of "scoots" 
or wood-shod sleds; yet more feet of lumber were produced 
per man per day than by any similar organization in Great 
Britain. This was due in part to the mills being portable, 
and also to the general make-up of the whole outfit, which 
proved peculiarly well adapted to the lumbering conditions 
in Scotland, and enabled the operators to work economically 
on small lots. This would not have been possible with 
larger plants. Before the units left for Liverpool the men 
had been recruited as civilians. This was of great advantage, 
since it resulted in fewer men being employed to do a given 
amount of work than would have been required under 
military control, and subjected them to less restraint and 
loss of that freedom which they had always been accustomed 
to. 

However, in order to guarantee a continuity of production, 
and to meet the needs of the many war industries dependent 
on a steady supply of lumber, arrangements were later made 
to loan to the British government a company of the 6th 
Battalion of the 20th Forest Engineers of the United States 
Army. When the men of the Sawmill Units were given the 
option of joining this battalion, about one hundred of them 
did so. Others enlisted in different branches of the army 
and navy, and about one hundred and fifty returned to the 
United States. 

Shortly after the arrival at Argdaj^ Mr. D. P. Brown 
of the Berlin Mills Company, who had accompanied the 

161 



expedition as its general manager, resigned tliat he might 
return to the United States and enHst in our army. Mr. 
Edgar C. Hirst, State Forester of New Hamj^sliire, was then 
put in charge, having on his staff as assistant managers and 
chief engineers, Mr. H. M. Hackett of Athol, Mass., Mr. 
G. M. Shea of the Connecticut Valley Lumber Comjiany, 
and Mr. C. A. Pratt. Mr. Hirst practically remained in 
control from the time the cutting operations began until the 
new military unit was fully organized, the commissioned 
officers of which were in general chosen from the foremen of 
the New England Sawmill Units. 

After Mr. Hirst returned to America he received the 
following letter from the Assistant Controller of Timber 
Supplies for Scotland, which expressed the appreciation of 
that department for the splendid assistance given by the 
units : — 

Dear Mr. Hirst: — I desire to convey to you formally the thanks of 
this department for the valuable assistance it has received from you dur- 
ing the year you have been in charge of the New England Sawmill I nits. 

Even in this time of great events, the action of the New England States 
in sending this expedition to Great Britain stands out as a notable episode. 
Thanks to the energy, zeal and hard work of yourself and your assistants, 
your mill foremen and men. the gift so generously designed by the Com- 
mittee has most happily achieved its object. It has provided us in time 
of need with timber we could not otherwise have produced. It has be- 
queathed to us valuable plant and horses. On our side it leaves a feeling 
of profound gratitude and friendship towards the States that sent you 
over, and of warm personal regard to yourself. . . . 
Yours very sincerely, 

John Stirling Maxwell, 
Assistant Controller of Timber Supplie,<i, Scotland. 

The fonnal presentation of the units from New England 
to Old England was made by INIr. George S. Lewis of Holyoke, 
Mass., to Right Hon. Arthur James Balfour, Minister of 
Foreign Affairs for the British government, at the office of 
the Ministry in London. Mr. Lewis carried with him a 
letter of gift from the Governor of each New England State. 
The gratitude of the British government for the help given 

162 



them by New England in sending this assistance may be 
gathered from the following letter written to Mr. Lewis 
just previous to his embarking for America: — 

Dear Mr. Lewis: — I cannot allow you to leave England without 
again expressing my heartfelt thanks for the splendid help you have given 
to this country in general and to my department in particular. 

Words fail me to give adequate expression to my gratitude, both for the 
magnificent gift from New England and for the infinite pains which you 
liave taken to insure that Old England should receive the fullest benefits 
from that gift. 

You have given your Lumber L^nits a splendid start, and I am very 
sorry that you cannot stay to see the great results which we are all con- 
fident they will achieve. You will be sorry, too, but you will have the 
supreme satisfaction of knowing that your generous sacrifice of time and 
thought in our interests has rendered us a most signal service. 

When you return to England, as I sincerely hope you will, a warm wel- 
come awaits you from the many friends you have made during your brief 
stay among us; from none will it be warmer and more sincere than, 

Yours most sincerely, 

J. B. Ball, 
Controller of Timber Supplies of the British Board of Trade. 

The climate of Scotland seemed to agree with the men in 
more ways than one. They were both well and happy, and 
most cordially and hospitably welcomed by the people of 
the neighborhood, who expressed great admiration for the 
manner in which they conducted themselves and turned out 
their work. Indeed, so naturally did they succumb to the 
charms of their Scotch environment that the home passage 
was enlivened by the presence of a large bevy of bona fide 
Highland lassies as brides. 

In the matter of rations, each man was allowed by the 
British government the following: — 

Meat and fish, 18 ounces per day. 
Bread, 16 ounces per day. 
Sugar, I pound per week. 
Tea, \ ounce per day. 

All non-rationed articles, such as potatoes, beans, fresh 
vegetables, coffee and cocoa were obtained in practically 
unlimited amounts. 

163 



]\Iany interesting letters were written home by the men 
after they had a chance to become acquainted with their 
surroundings, and of these it may be of interest to record a 
few. Under date of July 9, 1917, one member of the organi- 
zation wrote : — 

We stayed in Halifax Harbor nearly a week, and when we finally did 
start we had an old boat with us, besides a destroyer, an<l we had to go 
slowly to keep with them, so did not get across for nine days, landing at 
Liverpool on the afternoon of the Fourth. About two days out from port 
we were met by a destroyer, w'hich accompanied us in, and it was lucky 
for us that it did, for the night before we docked a torpedo missed us by 
about 30 feet; but the "sub" was chased off. We wore our life belts all the 
time coming over, and we felt as though we had lost something when we 
were on land again. Most of the municipal buildings were flying our flag 
in honor of our holiday, and the crowds all cheered and whistled when they 
saw our American flag. 

Another correspondent wrote : — 

We arrived at Liverpool late in the afternoon and took a train right 
away. We traveled all night long and arrived at this point in Scotland 
(Argday) at about noon the next day. The days here are very long at this 
time of the year, and they have what is known as the "English twilight," 
the twilight lasting until about 11 o'clock at night. There is only about 
three hours of total darkness, as the sun begins to rise again at 'i o'clock 
in the morning. . . . This is a very pretty town with mountains on all 
sides, and is very near the sea. It is quite a distance north of Edinburgh. 
. . . The spot where we are located is very unique because we get the 
benefit of the mountains, woods, rivers, and also the sea not far away, so 
you see you cannot beat the location. . . . The mountains are certainly 
wonderful; when the sun shines on them they make one of the prettiest 
sights I have ever gazed upon, — in fact, I think they have got our AMiite 
Mountains beat a mile. The weather has been real dry, but the tempera- 
ture never rises very high. When it reaches 80 degrees or over the people 
think it is a very warm day. 

The following extract taken from the British "Board of 
Trade Journal," an official publication of the British govern- 
ment, is evidence of the splendid work done by this contri- 
bution from New England : — 

In the spring of 1917 it was suggesttnl that lumbermen from the United 
States might also be willing to help in timber production in Britain. The 

164 



idea was taken up so heartily by the Massachusetts Committee on Public 
Safety that ten complete Sawmill Units were raised and equipped with 
mills, horses and all necessary impedimenta, free of cost. These Sawmill 
Units are not a military organization, the men being under individual 
contracts with the government. Considerable enthusiasm was mani- 
fested in connection with the send-off of these units. Their provision is 
one of the striking incidents of the story of how the timber problem has 
been dealt with. These lumbermen have more than realized the high ex- 
pectations formed of their work, and have put up some remarkable 
records, their total output being well ahead of what was estimated. 

That the enterprise was not one of merely momentary 
interest, but was held in appreciative memory after its con- 
clusion, is shown in a letter to Mr. Lewis from the Controller 
of Timber Supplies of the British Board of Trade : — 

September, 1918. 

Dear Mr. Lewis: — Now that the work of the Lumber Units raised 
by the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety has come to a con- 
clusion, consequent upon the enrollment of the men in the United States 
Forces for service in France, I should like to convey to you my personal 
appreciation of the work achieved by the officers and the men of these 
units. I trust that the sojourn of the men in Scotland was not altogether 
unenjoyable, and I need hardly say how valuable a contribution to the 
solidarity of the Allied cause is afforded by such work as that performed 
by the units. 

My sincere thanks are also due to you personally for the very consider- 
able share you took in the work of organization. 

Yours very truly, 

J. B. Ball. 

Surely when Lord Lovat, so prominent a representative of 
that virile England long recognized as the pristine center of 
sporting life, forgetting any insular prejudices, allowed in 
his enthusiasm that the New England Sawmill Unit was 
the sportiest event of the war, he not only repaid the Mas- 
sachusetts Committee on Public Safety and its supporters 
in full, but touched that little human chord that makes the 
whole world kin. 



165 



CHAPTER III 

COMMITTEE ON MOBILIZATION OF SCHOOL BOYS 
FOR FARM SERVICE 

Years have elapsed since Massachusetts could lav claim 
to being an agricultural State. The multitude of fanus 
dotting plains and hillside, and once yielding a generous 
livelihood to the farmers, with a little over to meet emer- 
gencies and insure a comfortable old age, have year by year 
become fewer and fewer, till gradually many are abandoned 
either in whole or in part. Our rapid industrial evolution 
out of all proportion to the growth of population, its demands 
on labor, the ever-increasing cost of living, the universal 
advance in wages, the call of the city, and the paradise for 
farmers offered through the development of the vast acreages 
in the West, were among the more obvious and potent 
causes to strip the New England homestead of its youth. 
In addition, better schools, with a stricter enforcement of 
regular attendance, and the opportunities offered by the 
establishment of educational boards and institutions, ad- 
vanced the standard of our young men's mental efficiency 
and gave them a better knowledge of what the world offered. 
All this induced a restless ambition for a broader life than 
the conduct of the average farm could supply. 

During the late winter and early spring, plans aiming to 
place boys on farms sprang up apparently spontaneously all 
over the country, and it has not yet been definitely deter- 
mined in what section of the country this first originated; 
but in Massachusetts the movement to mobilize boys for 
farm labor had its inception in the Committee on Public 
Safety. It was the result of a campaign conducted by that 
organization in the early spring of 1917, the purpose of 
which was to enlarge the amount of ciUtivated acreage, to 
stimulate home and community gardens, and through every 
vehicle possible to increase food production. 

1G6 



Usually Massachusetts yields less than one-fifth of the 
food it requires, and about 5 per cent only out of a popula- 
tion of 3,800,000 are normally engaged in agricultural 
pursuits. The situation was emphasized in a pamphlet 
issued by the Committee on Public Safety, in which it was 
said : — 

New England has 5,000,000 acres less under tillage than she had fifty 
years ago. Massachusetts has 54,000 less cows than twenty-five years ago. 
Active farming in many of our hill towns in the western part of the State 
has diminished alarmingly. The farming section in Massachusetts has 
been harder hit in the matter of labor than almost any other, for the prox- 
imity of manufacturing centers paying high wages has caused a tremen- 
dous migration to the cities. Many small farms are already vacant or 
idle because the farmer and his former workmen are manufacturing ma- 
chines, shoes, tools or munitions. The high price of grain is driving dairy- 
men to the wall daily. Boston will probably be confronted with a severe 
shortage of milk, and the poultrymen report to our committee that 50 per 
cent of the flocks in some of our best producing sections will be slaughtered 
within the next two months. 

The campaign of the Committee on Public Safety for 
school and home gardens, factory gardens and community 
gardens met with a prompt response ; yet it was fully realized 
that the chief contribution in effective production of staple 
crops must come from farms. Other agencies could supple- 
ment, but thereby only to a very limited extent offset, the 
food shortage and high prices incident to the enormous 
demand for export foodstuffs and the congestion of trans- 
portation systems sure to follow. 

Inquiries conducted by county farm bureaus, and reports 
made directly to the Committee on Public Safety, indicated 
that the Massachusetts farmer was not, as a rule, planning 
to increase his acreage, flocks of poultry, or herds of cattle 
and swine. Many causes operated to reduce rather than 
to increase production. The high cost of grain, seed and 
fertilizer, and the scarcity of labor, occasioned a very dis- 
couraging situation. One of the most menacing difficulties 
to be overcome, perhaps the greatest, was the scarcity and 

167 



high price of farm labor. In fact, the Committee was 
virtually faced with the contention on the part of the farmer 
that, "If you want us to raise more food you must find an 
available labor supply, which we have not been able to dis- 
cover at a price we can afford to pay." 

Among other measures the Committee adopted the fol- 
lowing: — 

1. All investigation to be conducted tlirough the comity farm bureaus 
of the need for labor on farms. 

2. The encouragement of labor agencies to be created and organized 
by the coimty farm bureaus. 

3. Establishment at the State House of a farm labor agency, to be 
controlled by the Sub-Committee on Food Production and Conservation. 

4. The mobilization of school boys to meet the labor deficit. 

The general scheme of mobilization was based on the 
following principles: — 

1. To encourage boys under sixteen to remain at home to work on 
home, school and community gardens. 

'2. To enlist high school boys too young for military or navy service, 
but old enough to render a real service on farms, and move them where 
farm labor is needed; making them understand that enlistment for farm 
service is in all ways as patriotic as any other service they could render 
to the Nation's defense. 

Mr. Storrow was empowered by the Committee on Public 
Safety to appoint a sub-committee to formulate a more 
detailed plan for enlistment and placement, — in general, 
to act as an administrative board. 

At the outset it was thought there would be a surplus of 
labor in the eastern part of the State, and that the high 
schools of the larger cities would contribute most of the 
boy labor. It was therefore planned to enlist boys in Suffolk, 
Essex, IVIiddlesex and Norfolk counties, and move them to 
the agricultural portions of the State where labor was more 
especially needed. A conference of the superintendents of 
schools in the cities of the above-named counties was held 
on April 24, 1917, and a committee appointed consisting of — 

168 



F. V. Thompson, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Boston, Chairman. 
C. S. Clark, Superintendent of Schools, Somerville. 
Bernard Sheridan, Superintendent of Schools, Lawrence. 
F. H. Nickerson, Superintendent of Schools, Medford. 

The plans suggested by this body received a good deal of 
newspaper publicity. They were also a leading feature of 
the discussion at a meeting of the Massachusetts Superin- 
tendents' Association held at the State House on April 27, 
the general subject considered being the work of the schools 
in war time. It appeared to those in attendance that the 
scheme for mobilizing school boys carried with it certain 
advantages which ought to be of general State-wide applica- 
tion, and should not be limited to the eastern section of the 
State. In response to a resolution adopted at the meeting, 
the Committee on Public Safety authorized the extension of 
the above measures throughout the State, and the following 
names were added to the Committee's meinbership by Mr. 
Storrow: — 

W. I. Hamilton, Agent, Massachusetts Board of Education, Boston, 

Secretary. 
J. H. Van Sickle, Superintendent of Schools, Springfield. 
C. G. Persons, Superintendent of Schools, Pittsfield. 
J. F. Gannon, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Worcester. 

The Committee also received valuable assistance from 
the following, who were appointed advisory members: — 

Dr. A. W. Gilbert, Acting Manager, Middlesex Farm Bureau. 
S. W. Parker, State Leader, Farm Bureaus. 

Prof. W. D. Hurd, Director, State Extension Service, Massachusetts Agri- 
cultural College. 
Prof. Curry Hicks, Massachusetts Agricultural College. 
J. G. Barnes, Director of Boys' Work, Boston Y. M. C. A. 

The full Committee never met as a working body. It 
conducted its business mainly through correspondence. For 
the first two or three weeks Messrs. Thompson, Clark, 
Sheridan, Nickerson, and Hamilton, acting as an executive 

169 



committee, were at the office in the State House every day. 
INIr. Stephen R. Dow was s])ecially assigned by the Com- 
mittee on PubHc Safety, and with the assistance of Messrs. 
Hamilton and Thompson carried on the work under the 
direction of the Executive Committee. Mr. Dow succeeded 
Mr. Hamilton as secretary on August 1. The first work of 
the Committee was to formulate and publish detailed plans 
and proposals. In a very short time it appeared that farmers 
were skeptical concerning the value of boys on farms. It 
became necessary, therefore, to conduct an active propa- 
ganda, and the Committee undertook to accomplish the 
following: — 

1. By correspondence, personal interviews and pnblic meetings to get 
in touch with local Committees on Public Safety and Committees on Con- 
servation of Food. 

2. To secure from all the school committees in the State having charge 
of high schools, arrangements whereby boys of sixteen years of age and 
over should he released, at any time during the spring and up to October 
1, whenever their services were needed in agricultural work. 

3. To secure for the boys an arrangement whereby their school stand- 
ing should not be impaired; and further, for those who were going to col- 
lege, recognition of this work as emergency service in lieu of regular cer- 
tification or examination for entrance to college. 

4. To place boys on farms in one of three ways: — 

(a) To put one or more boys on individual farms when requested by 
farmers, the boys to live in the farmers' homes. 

(/;) To arrange for co-operation with high schools, so that boys could 
work on farms in the vicinity when required, returning home at night. 

(c) To organize camps, from which boys would go to w^ork by the day 
or week on the farms in the vicinity of these camps. 

5. To secure the co-operation of the comity farm bureaus as a medium 
of information, of labor exchange, and of convincing the farmers that the 
high school boys were available and would be of real value in farm work. 

In carrying out its scheme the Committee received hearty 
co-operation from college authorities, school committees, 
superintendents of schools and high school principals, besides 
valuable assistance and advice from the Y. M. C. A., with 
Mr. L. C. Barnes as welfare director; and especially from 

170 



the State Department of Health, whose district inspectors 
made an examination of each camp and offered suggestions 
for sanitary improvement in several camps, supervising also 
inoculation against typhoid. The State Board of Labor and 
Industries placed the services of Dr. T. M. Harrington, its 
medical adviser, at the disposal of the Committee. The 
metropolitan press was also most generous in the allotment 
of space for any material the Committee desired to put 
before the public. Through the efforts of Mrs. Malcolm 
Donald reliable information was secured regarding proper 
sanitation for the boys, and also effective means of inducting 
satisfactory commissariat departments in the camps. In 
general, college authorities, school committees, superin- 
tendents of schools and high school principals co-operated 
heartily in furthering all the projects suggested by the Com- 
mittee. 

I'nlike other States attempting a similar enterprise, no 
public funds were appropriated in Massachusetts for the 
mobilization of school boys. The whole venture, except the 
office expenses, ■ — which were under the supervision of 
the Committee on Public Safety, — was financed by private 
subscription. The willingness of several municipal State 
offices to co-operate in the movement by releasing the time 
of such members of the Committee as were in their service, 
indicated the prevailing spirit in Massachusetts regarding 
all war emergencies. 

The boys were placed on farms in the three different ways 
above stated. Relatively few requests came to the central 
office for single boys. Such as did come were filled by 
the supervisors resident in the locality of the prospective 
employer. 

The advantages in this connection to the boys, the schools 
and the farmers were as follows : — 

1. A labor group was organized and made available such as the farmer 
could readily reach. Boys were available in larger numbers than hereto- 
fore. 

2. By the organization of a State-wide plan it was possible to induce 

171 



many school committees to release boys on full time prior to the close of 
school; to allow them to remain after the schools opened in the fall; and 
to make suitable arrangements for the continuance of their education. 

3. The Committee also secured for all boys in farm service inider its 
terms of enlistment a satisfactory status for admission to college. 

Many boys were released to work on the farms by the 
day, but Kved in their own homes. Such work was super- 
vised by local school authorities, and contributed enormously 
to feed production in their respective neighborhoods. While 
the work in camps was more picturesque, and attracted 
more attention and publicity, special honor is due those 
boys who, without the incentive that came through camp 
life, stuck manfully to their tasks throughout the summer. 
In many instances this indirectly entailed a distinct financial 
loss, for nearly every boy could have obtained a higher wage 
in some other employment. The superintendents of schools 
and the teachers acting as supervisors performed a use- 
ful, frequently difficult and always additional duty without 
extra pay. The amount of self-sacrifice and true patriotism 
exhibited by both boys and men was fully realized and 
appreciated, not only by the Committee on Public Safety, 
but by all in any wise cognizant of the excellent work done. 

Except in cases where close and constant supervision of 
boys was possible, or where the parent would assume the 
responsibility for a boy's welfare, the Committee did not 
advise sending boys away from home to work on isolated 
farms. The method of placing boys through camps proved 
to be, in the opinion of all who watched the experiment, the 
most successful way of taking labor from the place where a 
large surplus existed to the place where it was needed. 
There were many reasons for this, among them: — 

1. The possibility of personal oversight of the boy during his out-of- 
work hours, and supervision of liis food, gave a reasonal)le guarantee for 
his safety, and made a strong ai)i)eal to parents, so tliat it became possible 
to enlist the services of boys whose parents would be unwilling to have 
them go into the country on isolated farms and without responsible 
supervision. 

172 



!^. By locating the boys with an estabhshed commissary in one place, 
it was possible to relieve farmers' homes from any necessity' of making 
provision for food and lodging. 

3. The "team" spirit which was found to be fostered through the camp 
carried the boy through many periods of discouragement, notably when 
the work became monotonous and uninteresting. 

4. A properly organized and well-administered camp will have behind 
it the interest of at least two communities, — the one in which the boys 
are working, and the one from which they come. Out of this group interest 
many advantages may be developed, — social, economic and educational, 
all of great value to the parties concerned. 

On the whole, high school boys were enthusiastic, and 
enrolled for service in large numbers, but there was not at 
the outset a corresponding demand from farmers for boy 
labor. By personal conferences, however, with farmers and 
farm organizations, sufficient interest was aroused to warrant 
establishing -in the summer of 1917 a limited number of 
camps, and for these the Committee, together w^ith members 
of the Committee on Public Safety and a number of public- 
spirited individuals, secured both locations and equipment, 
meeting all charges for the same and later paying for the 
running expenses as well. 

Camps were established in the following towns : — 



Bolton. 

Concord. 

Egypt. 

Essex. 

Groton. 

Ipswich. 

Lenox. 



Lincoln. 

Marblehead. 

Phniouth. 

Stockbridge, 

Topsfield. 

Walpole, N. H. 

Weston (3). 



In addition, the Committee had co-operative relations, 
but not supervision of camps, under other managements, 
three being under the direction of the Y. M. C. A. 

Had the Committee begun its labors earlier in the first 
season, 1917, and been thereby enabled to meet personally 
more farmers' organizations, it is probable that many addi- 
tional camps would have been established that year, and at 
least twice as many boys employed. 

173 



In every town where a camp was located an attempt was 
made to secure a group of public-spirited people interested 
in the welfare of the boys, and to utilize all such community 
resources as were available. For example, in the town of 
Bolton the boys were housed in a building belonging to the 
agricultural society; in Topsfield a building on the fair 
grounds was used for a mess shack and kitchen; in Concord 
a carriage house was secured for general quarters. Through 
the Committee on Public Safety three himdred second-hand 
militia tents were placed at the disposal of the Committee. 
As a rule, most of the boys slept in tents. A considerable 
amount of money, in part contributed from local sources 
and the remainder from funds put at the disposal of the 
Committee, was invested in cooking equipment, dishes, 
cots and other camp necessities. 

The management of the camps, the first year, was by 
volunteers, with the advisory assistance of local school 
officials; that is to say, the Committee, having secured a 
site and a promise of employment for boys, equipped or 
assisted in equipping the camp. It also selected the high 
school from which the boys were to be detailed. The local 
school authorities were asked to appoint a supervisor of a 
camp, to pay him a modest stipend, and to detail the boys 
for service, thus putting the responsibility for the labor in 
every case on the school from which the boy was taken. 

The success of a camp depended very largely upon the 
efficiency of the supervisor. He was responsible, not only 
for the supervision of the boys in a disciplinary way, the 
distribution of their labor, buying food and managing the 
details of the commissary, but saw to it that the boys were 
kept in good condition, and that both they and the farmers 
got a square deal. It was an arduous and responsible 
position when the number of boys was over twenty, as was 
the case in most of the camps. In a few of the camps, 
where employers boarded the boys, the duties were less 
onerous. 

For lack of space only two camps are discussed. These 

174 



■r-'7fm 




••%->•« 



affi^ 







"•\^ 









tMi*^' 



»-^ t\ 






mi 



3t-U\ <**C- 



:;.,-^>^•>^;^■.^,^^]?^^Tv ^^.41^ 



At Scituate 




At Feeding Hills, Springfield 



are typical examples, however, of what could be done when 
the right spirit of co-operation and helpfulness was developed 
by all the parties interested. 

The Bolton Camp. — Three members of the Committee, 
by previous arrangement, met one evening at a gathering of 
farmers at Bolton. The camp project was put before them 
in detail, and in response to a suggestion from the Com- 
mittee a local committee was appointed. The principal of 
the high school from which it was proposed to draw the 
boys impressed upon the meeting that the boys to be sent 
from his school should be the kind of boys the town would 
be proud of. Arrangements were completed by the local 
committee to obtain the use of a large building belonging to 
the Agricultural Society, and a certain amount of equipment 
was furnished by the town. When the camp opened there 
was employment in sight for ten boys. The camp grew 
rapidly, and by the latter part of the season it numbered 
over thirty boys. For the most part, boys were employed 
throughout the summer on small farms within the limits of 
the town. 

In summing up the results of this camp, the manager of 
the largest farm in the vicinity put the matter in this wise : — - 

This Bolton camp experiment has accomplished three things : — 

1. It has given a more or less discouraged group of farmers a new view 
of their own possibilities and the possibilities of their farms. 

2. By bringing a supply of seasonal labor when needed, it has enabled 
the farmer to increase his acreage one-third to one-half, and has insured 
the proper cultivation of the crops at an expense he can afford. 

3. It has been one of the most valuable parts of the city boy's educa- 
tion, in that it has given him a first-hand experience in production which 
he could get in no other way. 

The Concord Camp. — The Concord camp was located in 
a different type of community, but was no less successful. 
Fifty to sixty boys were employed in the town throughout 
the summer; of these, thirty -five to fifty were housed at 
the camp. The boys worked mostly on truck farms, thereby 
coming in contact with the commercial farmer and his 

175 



are typical examples, however, of what could be done when 
the right spirit of co-operation and helpfulness was developed 
by all the parties interested. 

The Bolton Camp. — Three members of the Committee, 
by previous arrangement, met one evening at a gathering of 
farmers at Bolton. The camp project was put before them 
in detail, and in response to a suggestion from the Com- 
mittee a local committee was appointed. The principal of 
the high school from which it was proposed to draw the 
boys impressed upon the meeting that the boys to be sent 
from his school should be the kind of boys the town would 
be proud of. Arrangements were completed by the local 
committee to obtain the use of a large building belonging to 
the Agricultural Society, and a certain amount of equipment 
was furnished by the town. When the camp opened there 
was employment in sight for ten boys. The camp grew 
rapidly, and by the latter part of the season it numbered 
over thirty boys. For the most part, boys were employed 
throughout the summer on small farms within the limits of 
the town. 

In summing up the results of this camp, the manager of 
the largest farm in the vicinity put the matter in this wise : — 

This Bolton camp experiment has aceompHshed three things: — 

1. It has given a more or less discouraged group of farmers a new view 
of their own possibiHties and the possibihties of their farms. 

2. By bringing a supply of seasonal labor when needed, it has enabled 
the farmer to increase his acreage one-third to one-half, and has insured 
the proper cultivation of the crops at an expense he can afford. 

3. It has been one of the most valuable parts of the city boy's educa- 
tion, in that it has given him a first-hand experience in production which 
he could get in no other way. 

The Concord Camp. — The Concord camp was located in 
a different type of community, but was no less successful. 
Fifty to sixty boys were employed in the town throughout 
the summer; of these, thirty -five to fifty were housed at 
the camp. The boys worked mostly on truck farms, thereby 
coming in contact with the commercial farmer and his 

175 



problems. The immediate value of the labor employed to 
cultivate and market the produce uiade the Concord camp 
one of real success from an economic standpoint. 

Both the Bolton and the Concord camps were typical of 
the best results as the Committee viewed the season's work. 

At the very beginning the Committee was confronted with 
the vexed problem of child labor and the laws governing its 
use. There was a general fear, amounting to conviction, 
that only with the greatest difficulty could the country 
organize its labor resources so as to conserve its indvistries, 
transportation and agriculture for effective prosecution of 
the war. On this account many States passed laws tempo- 
rarily sus]:)ending the statutes dealing with the employment 
of women and children. "The Survey" of August 4, 1917, 
referring to the Commonwealth Defence Act passed May 
26, made the following statement : — 

Massachusetts created a commission of five persons with power to sus- 
pend any law licensing or regulating labor or the employment of labor, or 
any law affecting in any manner the conditions of labor. This power can 
be exercised only upon the application of an employer who declares that 
a law of the sort described interferes with work that he is doing, and that 
it is required by an emergency arising out of the war. The law applies, 
moreover, only for the duration of the war and six months thereafter. 

During the week of April 28 the National Child Labor 
Committee published a circular containing full statements 
and proposals for placing boys on farms. During the same 
week the Massachusetts Committee was engaged in formu- 
lating its proposals entirely independently. 

The two plans differed somewhat in detail but not in 
spirit. The Massachusetts Committee soon realized that to 
put children on farms without supervision, unless the need 
were positive, would be wasteful; that no demand whatever 
for inexperienced boy labor existed, but that it had to be 
created; and that only boys of sixteen years of age and 
over ought to be enlisted, and only from May 1 to October. 
It was also satisfactorily demonstrated that their hours o£ 

17G 










•-i-^ 



.^:aW 







At Marblehead 




At Hudson 



labor should be adjusted to special conditions, such as local 
demand, emergency conditions, the state of the weather, 
etc., and that it would be mipossible to fix absolutely an 
eight-hour working day throughout the State, although a 
maximum number of hours per week could be maintained 
without any hardship, provided the work was properly 
supervised. 

Early in 1917 the United States Department of Labor sug- 
gested to the Committee on Public Safety that the work 
being done by the Committee on Mobilization of School 
Boys for Farm Service be merged with that of the United 
States Boys' Working Reserve, an organization which was 
about to be formed by the Department. Now the boys 
already mobilized in Massachusetts were under contract 
up to October. Further, the plan of the Working Reserve 
comprehended the enlistment of any boy between the speci- 
fied ages, whether a school boy or not, whereas the Massa- 
chusetts plan comprehended only the placement of high 
school boys. Still further, the Boys' Working Reserve had 
adopted the following principle: "The Nation needs boys 
in many lines of endeavor other than agriculture, and boys 
will be enrolled for the kind of work to which each applicant 
and boy's training and temperament is best suited." 

But the Massachusetts plan originated and was being 
carried forward solely as a measure for helping farmers. At 
no time did the Committee on Mobilization of School Boys, 
or the Committee on Public Safety wish to depart from this 
plan. 

Eventually, the Committee on Public Safety, after much 
correspondence with Washington, voted to unite with the 
United States Boys' Working Reserve, provided the Reserve 
accepted the method of organization, purposes and policies 
of the Massachusetts Committee without enlarging its 
scope of activity, and further stipulating that the chairman 
of the committee, Mr. F. V. Thompson, be appointed State 
Director. 

During November and December, 1917, an honorable dis- 

177 



charge signed by Governor McCall and Chairman Storrow 
was presented to each of the 1,600 boys, all of whom had 
well earned this recognition by faithful fann work during 
the season of 1917. 

During the season of 1917 the mobilization of boys for 
fann service had been in a great measure experimental. 
Although the venture was successful beyond anticipation, 
nevertheless mistakes had been made, and the Committee 
studied painstakingly to avoid their recurrence in the future. 

The report of the original Committee, under date of 
October 1, 1917, contained the following recommenda- 
tions : — 

I. That the work begun during the current year be continued through 

1918, and that i)lans be made for 50 camps. 
II. A reorganization of the methods of conducting the work, involv- 
ing — 

A. SHght modifications of the plans for individual placements on 

farms. 

B. Complete reorganization of the control of placements by 

camps : — 

1 . Direct connection with the Executive Committee of the Pub- 

lic Safety Committee. 

2. State support. 

3. A salaried director on full time. 

4. Training classes for supervisors and camp cooks. 

5. Appointment of supervisors. 

6. Standardization of camp equipment, supplies, commissary 

and business methods. 
III. That tKe director have his office with the Committee on Public 
Safety, and serve as its responsible agent in all matters of 
policj' and action connected with boys' camps. 

In accordance with these recommendations, made by the 
Committee and approved by the Executive Committee, Mr. 
Storrow appointed, in the autumn of 1917, the following as 
members of a new Committee on School Boys for Fann 
Service for the season of 1918:^ — ■ 

Frank V. Thompson, Chairman, Superintendent of Schools, Boston. 
W. I. Hamilton, Secretary jyro tern.. State Board of Education. 

178 






^^* 



^..--^^"1"'^-^. 



'K 



"->/. 



COMMITTLL ON PUBLIC 5AFLTY 

Department ot Mobilization ot School Boys for Farm Service 
Be it known 5S(«/ ^/^y'A^/'/ r/y^yA'^ y i//ti9/ad/rm. 

Patriotically Served Commonwealth and Nation 
Honorably Discharged 



tm/tJtmemt, ii iam^iit 



irtrin it U i-mUy iim<it<M lit 
^ajf. m- iy id- J.,i.f iu rm- 




Certificate of Honorable Discharge 




Boy's Camp, Stockbridge 



R. Edwards Annin, Jr., State Board of Agriculture. 

Stephen R. Dow, Committee on Public Safety. 

George H. Lanen, Labor Editor, "Boston Post." 

James J. Storrow, Chairman, Committee on Public Safety. 

John D. Willard, Secretary, Board of Food Administration. 

This Committee met November 30 and elected Mr. 
Stephen R. Dow, director and secretary, at the same time 
requesting the United States Secretary of Labor to appoint 
Mr. Dow State Director of the United States Boys' Working 
Reserve. This appointment directly followed. 

An advisory committee was subsequently named, as 
follows : — 

Charles S. Clark, Superintendent of Schools, Somerville. 

John E. DeMeyer, Superintendent of Schools, Bridgewater and Abington. 

Clarence A. Dempsey, Superintendent of Schools, Haverhill. 

John R. Fausey, Superintendent of Schools, West Springfield. 

Francis McSherrj% Superintendent of Schools, Holyoke. 

John F. Scully, Superintendent of Schools, Brockton. 

E. F. Howard, Superintendent of Schools, Northfield. 

Sumner R. Parker, County Agent Leader. 

D. W. O'Brien, Board of Agriculture. 

Rufus W. Stimson, Agent, Board of Education. 

E. A. Hackett, Bolton. 
Gordon Hutchins, Concord. 

Leslie R. Smith, Master, State Grange, Hadley. 

C. D. Richardson, West Brookfield. 

H. W. Gibson, Secretary, State Y. M. C. A., Boston. 

Dr. Thomas F. Harrington, State Board of Labor and Lidustries, Boston. 

Mr. Hamilton resigned from the Committee March 8, 
1918, and Mr. R. W. Stimson of the State Board of Educa- 
tion was appointed in his place. 

A series of training classes for prospective camp super- 
visors were held at the State House on Saturday afternoons, 
beginning February 16, and continuing on the five Saturdays 
following. These gatherings were attended by some sixty 
teachers from the schools throughout the State. The 
director, Mr. Dow, assisted by some of the men who had 
supervised the camps the previous summer, covered the 

179 



following subjects: finances, discipline, recreation, camp 
routine, equipment, community co-operation, etc. Through 
the courtesy of Boston University all who attended these 
classes were invited to a course of lectures on camps, con- 
ducted by Mr. Walter S. Cowing at the University. 

The training of some fifty high school boys for camp 
cooks was undertaken in the kitchen of the North Bennet 
Street Industrial School, the entire necessary equipment for 
which was generously donated. From this training class 
twenty -five boys were selected and assigned as cooks to the 
various camps. While a few of these eventually proved 
unequal to the task, the majority went through the season 
successfully. The cook's wages, $15 a week and board, 
were charged to the camp maintenance account, which 
otherwise related solely to food, expenditure for the boys 
and the salary of the supervisor. 

Mr. Dow visited sixty-eight high schools during the 
winter and spring, attended meetings of thirty-six school 
boards, and addressed many gatherings of farm and local 
public safety committees on the subject of school boys on 
farms and the United States Boys' Working Reserve. He 
also inspected many prospective camp sites. 

An allowance of $4,000 from the Committee on Public 
Safety was set aside for expenses from October 1, 1917, to 
May 1, 1918, of which amount $3,714.99 was actually ex- 
pended. On April 24, 1918, an additional $46,000 was 
allotted by the Committee on Public Safety, this being part 
of an allowance of $100,000 voted by the Legislature for 
the stimulation of food production, etc. 

Twenty-five hundred boys were placed on fanns in the 
summer of 1918, compared with 1,600 in 1917. Fanners 
generally were more willing to hire boys, and the boys them- 
selves proved more satisfactory than during the previous 
summer. Nine hundred boys were placed in 20 camps, the 
nimiber in each varying from a minimum of 25 to a maximinn 
of 110. The larger camps were provided with additional 
supervisors and cooks. Of the 20 camps established, 17 

180 



were operated successfully for the season, and 3 were closed 
for lack of support by the fanners m their districts. 

From reports sent in by farmers, based on the cost of 
labor for each $1,000 worth of farm products raised, it is 
evident that these 2,500 boys added nearly $2,000,000 to 
the supply of farm products in Massachusetts during the 
year 1918, Reports on 600 boys showed they earned $100,000 
during the summer, - — an average of $166.66 per boy. Many 
bought thrift stamps and Liberty Bonds with these earnings. 

The boys were enrolled in the high schools of the Com- 
monwealth by a special officer, nominated by the principal 
of each school and officially appointed by Mr. Dow. 

Many of the school officials released selected boys on 
May 1, and their services became available until October 
12. Others were enrolled for the vacation period only; that 
is, from July 1 to September 1. Employed boys, and boys 
no longer attending school, were enrolled at the State House 
by the State Director. Wherever possible, groups of boys 
from the same school, with one or more of their own teachers 
as supervisors, were assigned a camp. Where this arrange- 
ment was not possible several groups were combined. The 
single group proved the more satisfactory. 

The teacher supervisors were released by the schools, and 
were given their board at the camps in addition to the $50 
per month which they had from the State appropriation. 

Camp equipment, medical attendance, supervision and 
transportation were provided by the State, but the camps 
themselves were self-supporting, the boys paying for the 
camp food and cook's wages, the average weekly expense 
being $5.18 per boy. Wages varied in different sections, 
ranging from $1.50 to $3.50 per day, depending on the 
ability of the boy and the point of view of the farmer. The 
more successful farmers paid the highest wages. 

Through the splendid co-operation of the State Y. M. C. A., 
supervision of the boy on the individual farm was success- 
fully accomplished; and supervision is three-quarters of the 
"boy on the farm" problem. 

181 



The outcome of Director Dow's and Mr. Thompson's 
efforts in the formation and management of the Committee 
to Mobihze Boys for Farm Service, so helpful as a war 
measure and successful as it proved to be, was not simply 
the immediate and very excellent results obtained. The 
whole scheme, from start to finish, though a new departure, 
ought under a like management, when backed by permanent 
legal authority, to serve as a basis to resuscitate our decadent 
New England farming by supplying a growing need through 
a new source, and at the same time broaden the character, 
outlook and interest of a large and important contingent of 
our youth. 



182 



CHAPTER IV 

COMMITTEE ON WAR EFFICIENCY 

The latter part of November, 1917, the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety was requested by the Council 
of National Defense to organize a Committee on War 
Efficiency, the chairman of which was subsequently to be 
appointed by the United States Department of Labor to the 
office of director for Massachusetts of the United States 
Public Service Reserve and the United States Employment 
Service. The Committee appointed was as follows: — 

William A. Gaston, Chairman. 



Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 
William M. Butler. 
B. Preston Clark. 
W. Murray Crane. 
Henry I. Harriman. 
Robert F. Herrick. 
Martin T. Joyce. 



James Logan. 
Arthur Lyman. 
Walter L. McMenimen. 
Joseph B. Russell. 
John F. Stevens. 
Edward F. McSweeney, 

Executive Secretary. 



This body, under the auspices of the Massachusetts Com- 
mittee on Public Safety, was to represent the State in all 
war labor problems as they arose during the war, its life to 
terminate with the war. 

When the Committee was formed, it was with the under- 
standing that the war labor program of the United States 
government should be under the control and direction of the 
Council of National Defense, and follow the same general 
plan of organization as the United States Food and Fuel 
Administrations. 

The Committee was confronted bj^ several exacting prob- 
lems. It at once decided on two points: First, that the 
war labor organization in Massachusetts should be con- 



183 



structed not only to assist in the transfer of labor from 
peace to war purposes, but that it might also be available 
for the purpose of war readjustment and retransfer back 
from war to peace; and with this end in view to provide 
while the war was still in progress, as far as humanly possible, 
for the emplo;y^nent of soldiers and sailors on their discharge. 
Secondly, that no new agency should be created if the end 
sought could be accomplished with the co-operation of an 
existing department of the State. 

At the time the Committee was formed, no great difficulty 
existed in securing workmen for war or any other kind of 
work. There was, in fact, from November, 1917, to April, 
1918, a surplus of unemploj^ed labor in Massachusetts, due 
to the seasonal unemployment normally expected during 
the winter months, and also because of the disorganization 
of industry as a result of the war. 

The Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation, the year follow- 
ing the entry of the United States into the conflict, was able 
from the available labor supply to multiply its Quincy plant 
five times. During the winter of 1917-18 there was no 
special demand for shipyard labor other than skilled ship- 
workers, and during the first week of April, 1918, more than 
5,000 persons applied for employment at the intelligence 
offices in Boston alone. 

Keeping always in mind the certainty that the end of the 
war was likely to bring peace problems of even more impor- 
tance than those of war, the Committee drew up a program, 
approved by the Massachusetts Committee on Public 
Safety and the Council of National Defense, which pro- 
vided for labor placement offices; the safeguarding and train- 
ing of women in war industries; the Americanization of 
aliens; housing; transportation; education and training 
for war labor; health; control over idle and casual labor; 
and industrial and man power statistics, etc. 

To insure the best results through a practical and scientific 
program, skilled experts and specialists were appointed, 
forming Advisory Committees on: — 

184 



Labor Employment Agencies. 
Women in Industry. 
Aliens in Industry. 
Housing and Transportation. 
Capital Expenditure. 



Training in Industry. 
Health in Industry. 
Idle and Casual Labor. 
Industrial Man Power Survey, 
Publicity. 



These Committees, whose services were gratuitously given, 
began in the latter part of December, 1917, consideration of 
the various topics assigned them, serving for eight months 
and until August, 1918, at which time the work, as will be 
seen, was taken over on a paid basis by the United States 
Department of Labor. 

While the process of organization of war labor problems 
proceeded uninterruptedly in Massachusetts during the 
first six months of 1918, there was a great deal of delay at 
Washington, due to a dispute as to which national authority 
the work properly belonged. This question was finally 
decided by putting the matter under the charge of the 
United States Department of Labor. On February 14, 1918, 
Mr. Gaston was appointed Massachusetts Director of the 
United States Public Service Reserve, and subsequently 
director for the Commonwealth of the United States Employ- 
ment Service. 

Under the supervision of the Committee the labor program 
as worked out and recommended by the various Advisory 
Committees began at once to be effective. The State was 
organized, and representatives of the Committee secured in 
every municipality of any size. By March 1, 1918, more 
than 600 persons in Massachusetts, unpaid, were giving 
practically all their time to the work of the United States 
Public Service Reserve. In addition, about 700 officials of 
labor unions acted as local agents within their respective 
trades. At the State House, for seven continuous months, 
from fifteen to twenty-five volunteers, mostly women, worked 
eight hours a day. 

At the request of the United States Shipping Board an 
appeal was made in March, 1918, for volunteer shipyard 
enrollment. In four weeks, due to the generous co-operation 



185 



of volunteer assistants, an enrollment of 28,000 mechanics 
was obtained, being double the quota asked of Massachusetts. 
The excess registered in Massachusetts over the quota 
equaled, in fact, the entire quota assigned to New England, 
while in character of personnel the Massachusetts enroll- 
ment was not excelled by any State in the Union. 

With the co-operation of the Boston School Committee 
and the Clerical High School, all application cards in response 
to the appeal were classified under twenty major and seventy- 
two minor trade divisions, and made available for reference 
by cities, towns and counties. 

In April, May and June a drive for emergency farm labor 
was carried on with moderate success. 

Programs for Americanization, war housing and trans- 
portation, training in industry, education and health in 
industry were worked out by the various Advisory Com- 
mittees. A law extending the scope and activities of voca- 
tional schools and evening schools was drafted by the Com- 
mittee and enacted by the Legislature. 

An idle and casual labor program was worked out, and in 
accordance therewith, under chapter 286, General Acts of 
1918, it was made compulsory for every able-bodied male 
between the ages of eighteen and fifty to engage in some 
useful occupation. 

Through the efforts of the Advisory Committee on Capital 
Expenditure, a large amount of building construction, which, 
if begun, would have impeded the program of war activities, 
was delayed or modified. 

Under the joint direction of Mr. Gaston, and Mr. B. J. 
Rothwell, chairman of the State Bureau of Immigration, 
together with the co-operation of the Advisory Committee 
on Americanization, a questionnaire was issued to all aliens 
working in Massachusetts' factories employing fifty or 
more persons. This was done in order to ascertain the 
number of aliens, their nationality, ability to speak, to 
read and write English, and their intentions regarding 
citizenship, etc. The result gave a definite idea of the extent 

186 



of this problem, and was a decided contribution to a most 
important question. 

A survey of the amount and kind of power used by manu- 
facturing industries in Massachusetts was made by the 
Committee in co-operation with the Boston Chamber of 
Commerce, and under the direct supervision of its president. 

In co-operation with the State Bureau of Statistics, a Hst 
of all manufacturers in the State employing fifty or more 
persons was made, and was used as a basis for war labor 
correspondence with Massachusetts employers. 

By May, 1918, all the unemployed to be found within 
the Commonwealth were at work, and there began to be an 
unfulfilled demand for labor of all sorts. Women, replacing 
men, were being taken into industry in large numbers, and 
each successive draft made the demand for labor more 
acute. 

The Committee then worked out and offered a program 
providing for war labor transfer, which should act as the 
basis for after-the-war reconstruction. This plan, after- 
wards adopted, and still later elaborated by the Depart- 
ment of Labor, was included in the War Community Board 
program, by which local control of the various problems 
involved was concentrated under local community boards. 

About July, 1918, by direction of the United States De- 
partment of Labor, the following Executive Committee was 
chosen : — 

William A. Gaston, Chairman. 

Alfred A. Glidden and Albert R. Wliite, representing management. 

Martin T. Joyce and William A. Nealy, representing labor. 

This body established thirty-five branch employment 
offices in Massachusetts, and appointed about two score 
local community boards, each of which had full charge of 
the war labor program for their respective localities. 

In August, 1918, Mr. Gaston resigned his position as chair- 
man of the Committee as well as director for Massachusetts 
of the United States Public Service Reserve and United 

187 



States Employment Service, and his place was filled by the 
selection of Dean Everett W. Lord of the College of Business 
Administration of Boston I^niversity, who had with him as 
vice-chairman of the Committee, Mr. B. Preston Clark. 

From December 1, 1917, to August 1, 1918, the money 
furnished by the United States government in behalf of the 
Committee was less than $900, all the nominal expenses of 
the oflfice being paid, up to that time, by the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety. But when, in August, 1918, 
the Committee's activities were put by the United States 
Department of Labor on a paid basis, and Dean Lord was 
left in full control, subject only to the direction of the United 
States Department of Labor, all further responsibility on 
the ])art of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety 
ceased. 



188 



CHAPTER V 
MASSACHUSETTS HALIFAX RELIEF COMMITTEE 

On the morning of Thursday, December 6, 1917, at 11.20 
A.M., while the Board of Food Administration was in session 
at the State House, Assistant Food Administrator James J. 
Phelan was hurriedly called to the telephone. He returned 
to report that a terrible catastrophe had befallen Halifax; 
that two vessels — ^ the "Mont Blanc," loaded with muni- 
tions, and the "Imo" — having collided, the resulting 
explosion had laid half the city in ruins. 

iVccompanied by Mr. Endicott, Mr. Phelan then went 
directly to the Executive Chamber to infonn His Excellency 
Governor McCall. Every known means was immediately 
put in operation to acquire as far as possible a full and 
accurate report of what had taken place, and the full extent 
of the disaster, by checking up with the Boston newspapers 
and the Associated Press such news as had come in over 
their lines. It transpired, however, that the only informa- 
tion they were able to obtain was very confused and un- 
reliable. Undoubtedly a terrible accident had taken place, 
involving great loss of life and property, but by reason of 
the destruction of wires such news as came through was 
fragmentary. This was chiefly to be accounted for by the 
fact that the Dominion government had commandeered the 
few wires left standing. Having ascertained all the trust- 
worthy news to be had, the Governor despatched the follow- 
ing telegram to the mayor of Halifax : — 

Understand your city in danger from explosion and conflagration. Re- 
ports only fragmentary. Massachusetts stands ready to go to the limit 
in rendering every assistance you may be in need of. Wire me imme- 
diately. 

189 



It was then decided that a full meeting of the Committee 
of One Hundred should be called as soon as possible, and a 
telephone message was sent to each member requesting his 
attendance at the Governor's Council Chamber at 2.30 the 
same afternoon. Notwithstanding so short a notice, more 
than sixty members responded to the summons, but up to 
the time the meeting adjourned it proved impossible to 
obtain any additional news from Halifax, — in fact, the 
city seemed to be completely isolated. 

Dr. William A. Brooks, Acting Surgeon-General of the 
Commonwealth, and chief of the Medical Department of 
the State Guard, advised that a base hospital unit for doctors, 
nurses, medical supplies, etc., be at once organized, to be 
ready at a moment's notice to depart for the stricken city. 
Mr. Endicott then recommended that unless news came to 
the contrary, a relief expedition, with the base hospital unit 
suggested by Dr. Brooks and what emergency supplies could 
be quickly collected, should start for Halifax without waiting 
for the advices called for by the Governor, even at the risk 
of its later being found unnecessary, in which event it could 
immediately return. Mr. Hustis, formerly president, and 
at that time receiver for the Boston & Maine Railroad, when 
asked how soon a special train could be made ready, at once 
replied, "Within half an hour of notification by your Com- 
mittee." Later in the afternoon it was definitely decided to 
carry out Dr. Brooks' proposal, and at 10 o'clock the 
same night, December 6, 1917, a train carrying doctors and 
nurses, with Mr. John F. Moors in charge of the Red Cross 
workers, — the latter having been invited by the Committee 
on Public Safety to join the party, — and a large assort- 
ment of medical supplies, clothing and food, started on its 
way to the devastated city in charge of Mr. A. C. Ratshesky. 

Previously, and after the meeting of the Committee of 
One Hundred, Governor McCall sent a second telegram to 
the mayor of Halifax, as follows : — 

Since sending my telegram this morning offering unlimited assistance 
an important meeting of citizens has been held and Massachusetts stands 

190 



ready to offer aid in any way you can avail yourself of it. We are pre- 
pared to send forward immediately a special train with surgeons, nurses 
and other medical assistance, but await advices from you. 

After the party left Boston, Governor McCall appointed 
the following to be members of the Massachusetts Halifax 
Relief Committee : — 

Henry B. Endicott, Chairman. 
James J. Phelan, V ice-Chairman . 
Matthew Luce, Secretary. 
Robert Winsor, Treasurer. 



James J. Storrow. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
Joseph B. Russell. 
Robert F. Herrick. 
W. Murray Crane. 
George H. Lyman. 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 
John F. O'Connell. 



B. Preston Clark. 
J. Frank O'Hare. 
Charles S. Baxter. 
Edwin U. Curtis. 
George C. Lee. 
Walter C. Baylies. 
James Jackson. 



Messrs, James Jackson and Walter C. Baylies, members 
of the above Committee, also represented the Red Cross. 

The Committee met for organization Friday morning, 
December 7, at 10 o'clock, and sent out the following appeal 
for funds : — 

An Appeal for Funds for Halifax 

It is evident from all reports on hand that thousands are in great dis- 
tress as a result of the great catastrophe which has spread death and devas- 
tation in Halifax. 

Generous contributions will be needed to carry on the work of relieving 
immediate distress by providing clothes, food, medicmes and material for 
the temporary housing of the homeless and suffering. Later will come the 
great work of rehabilitation to which we are all committed as near neigh- 
bors of the stricken city. 

Cash will be required to do all this, and Massachusetts may be called 
upon for a million dollars. Everybody is asked to subscribe generously 
and as quickly as possible. 

Mr. Endicott also sent the following telegram to the sub- 
committees on Public Safety throughout the State : — 

191 



Governor McCall has appointed from Committee of One Hundred of 
tlie Massacliusetts Committee on Public Safety, Massachusetts HaHfax 
Relief Committee, of which Committee he has appointed me chairman. 

It is Governor McCall's desire that all local Public Safety Committees, 
men and women, throughout the Commonwealth shall co-operate in the 
raising of funds for this work. WiU you please call your committee to- 
gether at once for this purpose and set them to work raising funds. Send 
all checks to Robert Winsor, Treasurer, care of Kidder, Peabody & Co., 
Boston. Your Committee is hereby delegated as local representative of 
the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee. 



The Committee met again early on Saturday morning, 
December 8, and established a Halifax Information Bureau 
at the State House in charge of Mr. B. F. Felt, which was 
to act as an information bureau to those having friends and 
relatives at Halifax. 

At noon on the same day a Halifax relief meeting was 
called at Faneuil Hall, at which Governor McCall, Mayor 
Curley, Mr. Endicott and Messrs. McLeod and Mclntyre 
of the British and Canadian Missions made short addresses, 
pledging all the help in their power to relieve the unfortunate 
people who had suffered from the disaster. All that day, 
and far into the night, as well as on Sunday, the various sub- 
committees of the Relief Committee worked persistently, 
striving to collect the needed supplies and to provide for 
transportation facilities, Mr. J. A. Malone and Mr. E. G. 
Preston giving the invaluable assistance of their long experi- 
ence, and buying quickly and wisely much of the supplies 
eventually sent to Halifax. 

The United States Shipi)ing Board, through Mr. Howard, 
chairman, loaned the steamship "Calvin Austin" to the 
Committee. This boat, in command of Capt. Eugene 
O'Donnell, sailed from Boston at 3 o'clock Sunday after- 
noon, December 9, three days after the explosion. 

The cargo was under the personal supervision of the 
Hon. Edmund Billings, who with Deputy Collector Alfred 
Anderson accompanied the expedition. These officers, 
together with Special Deputy Collector Eli Perry, Deputies 

192 



R. G. Frye and S. J. Devlin, and Deputy Surveyor Moses B. 
Mann, were of inestimable help to the Committee on Public 
Safety in this emergency, as they proved to be at all times 
whenever their assistance was called for. 

The equipment consisted of about $300,000 worth of 
supplies, together with an emergency wrecking crew fully 
furnished, a crew of glaziers and trained workmen, a large 
supply of window glass, putty, etc., and the following 
articles : — 



Mattresses (packages). 

Cots, .... 

Pillows (bundles). 

Castings (keg), . 

Flour (bags), 

Canned beef (cases). 

Canned meat (cases). 

Condensed milk (cases), 

Canned beans (cases), 

Coffee (cases), . 

Tea (cases), 

Sausage (cases), 

Putty (packages), 

Dry goods (cases), . 

Shoes (cases), 

Oilcloth (cases). 

Rubbers (case). 

Cotton piece goods (bales). 

Roofing paper (rolls). 

Glass (cases), 

Canned soup (cases), 

Evaporated milk (case) 

Baker's cocoa (case), 

Malted milk (cases). 

Sugar (bags). 

Crackers (cases). 

Second-hand clothing (packages). 

Clothing, etc. (cases). 

Blankets (bundles), . 

Bread (packages). 

Cheese (cases), . 

Oleomargarine (packages), 



985 

591 

86 

1 

200 

115 

100 

100 

200 

62 

26 

2 

25 

5 

6 

2 

1 

4 

1,870 

1,496 

200 

100 

1 

40 

15 

200 

700 

200 

305 

150 

50 

27 



193 



The "Calvin Austin" almost immediately plunged into a 
heavy sea, and after a rough trip arrived at Halifax on 
Wednesday, December 12. 

On Sunday, December 9, after the departure of the " Calvin 
Austin," the Committee reassembled at the State House to 
consider what further purchases should be made, and to 
arrange for the sailing of a second steamer, the "North- 
land," on Tuesday, December 11. This vessel was lent to 
the Committee, free of charge, by the Eastern Steamship 
Company. Mr. John F. O'Connell of the Committee accom- 
panied the steamer in charge of the following supplies : — 



Beaver board (rolls). 

Crackers (cases). 

Gasoline (drums). 

Second-hand clothing (packages), 

Nails (kegs). 

Cement (drums), 

Dry goods (cases). 

Glass (cases). 

Rubbers (cases). 

Boots and shoes (cases), . 

Fittings (keg), . 

Glazier tools (bundle). 

Cot beds, .... 



2,084 

200 

10 

510 

51 

23 

13 

837 

94 

1,045 

1 

1 

420 



On December 10 Mr. Endicott advised Mr. Ratshesky by 
telegram that ten motor trucks had been forwarded as a 
present from Massachusetts to Halifax, and that more would 
be forthcoming if needed. These trucks, valued at $'-25,000, 
were secured by Mr. H. J. McAlman, president of the Auto- 
mol)ile Dealers' Association, before noon on Monday, Decem- 
ber 10, and, under the command of Capt. J. S. Hathaway of 
the Governor's staff, also went on the "Northland." Each 
truck, manned by a driver and well supplied with gasoline, 
was ready for service on landing. They proved of inestimable 
value, enabling supplies to be transferred to difi'erent points 
which up to that time had been inaccessible because of the 
deep carpet of snow that covered the city. 



194 



A great deal of difficulty was encountered in obtaining, at 
so short notice, some of the articles which were deemed most 
necessary. For example, the market at that time was practi- 
cally denuded of all kinds of rubber footwear, yet 5,000 
pairs were secured. Certain shoe firms gave these, as well 
as other articles; and, generally, substantial reductions were 
made from the wholesale prices. Mr. Charles Sumner Bird 
gave three carloads of roofing materials, and the Loose-Wiles 
Company, 400 cases of crackers. Mrs. Russell S. Codman, 
as chairman of the Special Committee of the Special Aid 
Society, added three truck loads of clothing, consisting 
mostly of underwear collected by the Society. The Red 
Cross sent 275 cases of selected clothing. 

In the meantime Mr. Winsor and his Committee were at 
work collecting a fund. Subscriptions began to pour in from 
every section of the Commonwealth, finally reaching the 
sum of $699,189.91. In addition, a great many needed and 
valuable gifts of clothing, roofing paper, footwear, etc., 
were brought together ready for shipment. 

Very soon more normal means of communication were 
established, and despatches began to arrive from Halifax 
expressing the very great gratitude of her people for the 
help given them by the citizens of Massachusetts. On 
Wednesday, January 12, however, as a natural result of so 
great a disarrangement of affairs, the Halifax authorities 
wired to delay sending any more nurses, doctors, helpers, 
food or clothing of any kind, until further advised, on account 
of the great congestion and impossibility of properly handling 
the goods on arrival. 

The party, under charge of Mr. Ratshesky, it will be 
remembered, left Boston at 10 o'clock on the evening of the 
disaster; and beginning at Portland, Me., and from thence 
regularly thereafter at each station until the arrival at 
St. John, the mayor of Halifax was telegraphed to, without 
any answer being received in reply. Again, during a short 
delay at McAdani Junction it was sought to ascertain what 
was going on at Halifax, but only unsatisfactory and vague 

195 



rumors were obtainable. These became more and more 
grave as time went on. At every stop after leaving the 
Jimction, workers bound for Halifax in various capacities 
waylaid the train seeking accommodations, and Mr. 
Ratshesky issued instructions that every available space 
should be filled, with preference given to the doctors and 
nurses. Directions were also issued to Captains Hyde and 
Lapham of the Quartermasters' Department to secure addi- 
tional drugs during the stop at St. John, and they were 
successful in getting aboard large quantities of all kinds of 
medical supplies before the train pulled out of the depot. 

It was not until the party reached St. John that any full 
intimation of the seriousness of the disaster was received; 
and with this came the news that all the telegraphic and 
telephone wires within a long radius from Halifax were 
down, and that no word had come through of just what had 
happened, except by relay and in a roundabout way. A wire 
was at once sent to Mr. Endicott, asking him to have for- 
warded a train load of window glass and putty as well as 
building materials of all kinds. 

On leaving St. John the party encountered a heavy snow- 
storm, which proved one of the severest of the winter, 
accompanied by a driving gale, the heavy snow piling 
up in great drifts and making progress more and more 
difficult, so that a large freight engine had to be attached to 
the train. Beyond Truro and Moncton the storm increased 
to a veritable blizzard, and the engine finally broke down, 
causing a delay of several hours for repairs. The climax 
was reached at the time the party started to ascend the up 
grade at Folleigh Mountain, when the conductor in charge, 
and also General Agent Howard of the Canadian govern- 
ment, stated that an enormous snowdrift which lay across 
the track altogether prevented further progress. But Mr. 
Ratshesky, fortified with official telegrai)hic orders to give 
the party the right of way under all conditions, pleaded 
with the officials to do everything known to railroad men to 
clear the track. Ordinarily, no attempt would have been 

196 



made to keep the train in motion, but all hands understood 
how urgent was the need, and worked with might and main 
to clear the track. At last, by hard shoveling and the use 
of steam and ramming, the drift, standing higher than the 
door of the baggage car, was ploughed through amid the 
"hurrahs" of all on board. On arriving at Truro an extra 
engine with crew were found waiting for the final haul to 
Halifax. The city was reached at about 3 o'clock on the 
morning of December 8, the passengers, including those 
taken on board at Fredericton Junction, now numbering 
about sixty-five. The last stop was made at Rockingham 
Junction, about six miles from the terminus, a detour being 
necessary around the city on account of the destruction of 
the depot at Halifax. The terminus was reached at about 
7 A.M., whence communication was c{uickly made with Sir 
Robert L. Borden, Premier of Canada, whose private car 
was on a side track close by, and who was not slow to express 
his gratitude to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 
her prompt response. The party, accompanied by the 
Premier, then went to City Hall to present Governor 
McCall's letter to the mayor, and to make preliminary 
arrangements. The vehicle that conveyed them from the 
depot had been used night and day in carrying the wounded 
to hospitals and the dead to the morgue. The driver, a 
young man, had lost his whole family, consisting of a wife 
and four children. As Mr. Ratshesky afterwards said, "It 
was a gruesome start." 

The streets they passed through were blocked with debris 
and covered with freshly fallen snow, and it was only with 
considerable difficulty that the party arrived by 9 o'clock at 
City Hall in the center of the city. From here an awful 
sight presented itself. Buildings lay shattered on all sides, 
with chaos and confusion everywhere. 

Unfortunately the mayor was away, but the party found 
awaiting them His Honor Governor McCullum Grant of 
Nova Scotia; General Benson, Military Commandant of 
the District; Admiral Chambers, Naval Commandant of 

197 



the District; Colonel McKelvie Bell, Military Medical 
Officer; Chief Justice Harris of the Supreme Court of Nova 
Scotia; Chairman R. T. Macllreith, who was in charge of 
the medical relief of the city; and members of the Halifax 
Temporary Relief Committee. In the same room, about 
12 by 20 feet in size, were assembled men and women trying 
to organize different departments of relief. Other rooms in 
the building were jammed to their utmost capacity with 
people of every age and sex begging for doctors, nurses, food 
and clothing for themselves and members of their families. 
It was evident that in this condition of turmoil the first 
necessity was a definite plan of organization. The Relief 
Committee secured as headquarters the City Club building, 
centrally located, where a thorough organization was put 
under way. It was at once apparent that first of all a 
Transportation Committee w^as needed in order to handle 
the crowds of people flocking to the city to help in relief 
work, and also to facilitate the arrival of the large quantities 
of food, clothing and other necessities coming in from all 
parts of Canada and the United States. Other committees 
included in the organization were : a Committee on Supplies, 
divided into food and clothing; a Finance Conmiittee; a 
Committee on Construction, to take charge of buildings 
partially destroyed which had to be demolished or tempo- 
rarily repaired, and to collect building supplies and labor 
from Canada and the United States; a Relief Committee, 
in which the members of the Red Cross should take an 
active part, and for which their experience made them 
peculiarly adapted; a Housing Committee, to provide for 
those whose homes had been entirely destroyed or which 
could not be repaired, and also to care for the large number 
of people entering the city from Canada and the United 
States; a INIedical Department, to apportion the work of 
the surgeons, doctors, nurses and assistants; and a Ware- 
house Department, to sort, store and distribute all the 
supplies now being rushed into the city. 

The most pressing demand was for doctors and nurses. 

198 



This was partially met by scattering members of the hospital 
unit through different quarters of the city, with instructions 
to keep the central office informed of their whereabouts in 
order that they might readily be gathered together at night, 
it being considered vitally important to keep this unit 
together and to establish a permanent hospital at the earliest 
possible moment. Eventually the Bellevue Building, in use 
as an officers' club house, which was large and roomy and 
near the center of the city, was turned over to the Medical 
Department. This building was found to be in very bad 
condition, not a door or window remaining, and with water 
and ice covering the floors in every room. Its appearance 
was so discouraging and its rehabilitation apparently so 
hopeless that under ordinary circumstances it would have 
been at once abandoned, but by 1'2.30 o'clock on that first 
day Major Giddings with his ciuartermasters' contingent, 
ably assisted by some fifty of the crew of the United States 
training ship "Old Colony," — who had arrived with in- 
structions to report to the head of the Committee for such 
services as they could render, — together with a contingent 
of Canadian soldiers under command of General Benson, 
was at work cleaning the rooms, covering the windows with 
papers and boards, washing the floors and woodwork, and 
removing all furniture to the upper part of the building. 
The result was that by 6 o'clock that night an operating 
room was installed and wards fitted up with one hundred 
beds and medical supplies brought from the relief train. By 
9 o'clock sixty patients were received; and by noon the next 
day the fully equipped American Bellevue Hospital, flying 
the American Flag presented by Mr. Ratshesky, was in 
coinplete running order and caring for one hundred patients. 
This was not the only hospital in the city, but it received 
the worst cases from other hospitals when the latter became 
so overcrowded that proper attention could not be given to 
the patients. The Military Camp Hill Hospital, its original 
capacity limited to three hundred patients, was at that time 
caring for approximately sixteen hundred. 

199 



The British Medical Stores Depot furnished full equip- 
ment in the way of bedside tables, rubber sheets, dishes and 
tableware. The British authorities also furnished to the 
hospital unit cooks and kitchen utensils, besides supplying 
the hospital with food from its commissary and detailing a 
corps of trained clerks and orderlies. 

Premier Borden personally made arrangements for the 
housing of the doctors and ofhcials, and likewise took care of 
the Red Cross Contingent and the newspaper men, while 
the nurses were quartered in private homes in the vicinity, 
— four of them at Government House. 

The ten surgeons of the Medical Department of the ]\Ias- 
sachusetts State Guard had with them a civilian anaesthetist, 
two officers of the Quartermaster Corps detailed to the 
Medical Department, and ten civilian nurses, all a part of 
the Massachusetts contingent, and these were the first 
medical outfit to reach Halifax from any outside section. 

Part of the equipment of a portable hospital was also 
taken to Halifax and used to excellent advantage. When 
the Committee left for home all the medical equipment 
brought and not used, with the exception of a few blankets, 
was left behind for the sick and wounded. 

The afternoon on which formal possession was taken of the 
hospital. Premier Borden issued the following statement: — 

This afternoon I visited the hospital established at Bellevue by the 
Massachusetts Hosi>ital Unit. They took possession yesterday after- 
noon at 2 o'clock, and within a few hours had every arrangement made 
for receiving patients, of whom nearly seventy-five are now being accom- 
modated. All the arrangements were wonderfully planned considering 
the shortness of the time and difficulties that had to be overcome. The 
hospital is a triumph of organizing ability. 

In a report made by Major Giddings to the Acting Surgeon- 
General the following excerpts appear : — 

On the evening of December 9 the conunanding officer attended by 
request a meeting of Red Cross rejjresentatives, IJeut.-Col. F. McKchie 
Bell, Mr. Ratshesky and representatives of the Boston Red Cross I'uit, 
which, with the independent contingent of Dr. E. A. Codman, had reached 

200 



Halifax that morning. Dr. Codman was also present at tllis conference. 
That daj^ a Medical Relief Committee had been appointed, with Lieut.- 
Col. F. McK. Bell as chairman. Among other things discussed at the 
meeting were ways and means of best caring for the sick and wounded of 
the city. As a result of observations made on the 8th by various members 
of this unit, who had visited many people in their homes, we were able 
to suggest the mapping of the city into districts, with the recommenda- 
tion that a house to house canvass be made first by the social workers, 
who would report as to whether medical or surgical help was needed, 
the case then to be seen by a doctor or nurse. This suggestion was made 
because our doctors found that large numbers of injured people requiring 
surgical aid had sought the shelter of buildings near the devastated area, 
where they were content to stay. So dazed were they by the disaster 
that they did not realize that help would come to them for the asking. 
Also the members of our staff had found that many people could not leave 
their places of refuge for dressings because they had literally lost all their 
clothing. 

Another observation made by our doctors was that contagious diseases 
would be likely to make an early appearance, due to the complete destruc- 
tion of toilet facilities, the huddling together of large numbers in small 
quarters and the general physical demoralization. Because of these con- 
ditions we recommended the immediate establishment of a contagious 
hospital. That our surmise of early contagion was correct was proved by 
the fact that on December 12 three cases of throat infection, cultures of 
which immediately were made, were proved to be diphtheritic. 

Our suggestions, as above indicated, were both accepted, the house to 
house canvass being made by members of the United States medical units, 
which went to the aid of the city between the time of their a^ri^'aI in the 
city and the establishment of their respective hospitals. "NMiile doing this 
work their headquarters were at City Hall. 

The morning of December 10 saw the Stars and Stripes flying over the 
hospital, the first time they had appeared in the city following the dis- 
aster. The flag was secured for us by Mr. Ratshesky. . . . 

On this same day we received an official visit from Samuel Wolcott and 
R. W. E. Ladd, the respective civil and medical heads of the Massachu- 
setts Red Cross Unit, who were establishing a hospital and were anxious 
to learn how we had proceeded. . . . 

On the afternoon of December 11 the voliuue of work had become so 
great that additional nurses were required. "We notified medical head- 
quarters of this fact, and they detailed to us the following ladies, all from 
St. John, and all, with one exception, graduate nurses: Miss Chambers of 
St. Luke's Hospital, New York; Miss Philhps, V. A. D., two years, Eng- 
land; Miss Donville, Newport Hospital, Rhode Island; Miss Harring- 
ton, Newport Hospital, Rhode Island; Mrs. Tilley, Royal Victoria Hos- 

201 



pital, Montreal; Mrs. Allison, Newton Hospital, Newton; Mrs. Bowman, 
Walthani Hospital, Waltham; Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Brock, Royal 
Victoria Hospital, Montreal: ami Mrs. Mclntyre, Massachusetts General 
Hospital, Massachusetts. These ladies remained with us until we sur- 
rendered control of the hospital, and did very valuable work. . . . 

On the 11th Mrs. Barrett Wendell arrived from Boston, who brought 
a consitlerable quantity of clothing for distribution and certain needed 
hospital supplies, the gift of Mrs. Charles D. Sias of Boston. 

In addition to the Massachusetts and Rhode Ishmd divi- 
sions of the Red Cross, and the physicians who had come 
independently, a number of doctors and nurses arrived from 
Maine ready to establish a hospital, so that a superabundance 
of ready professional help resulted. Therefore, after a 
general conference, at 7 o'clock on the evening of December 
12, the Bellevue Hospital was transferred to the Rhode 
Island contingent. 

Respecting the general character of the wounds treated at 
the hospital, Dr. Giddings reports in part as follows: — 

They were very largely injuries of the face causetl by flying glass, and 
included many injuries to the eyes. In fact, there were more of these than 
of any others. The explanation of this is as follows: Two explosions 
occurred. One was a comparatively minor affair, but was sufficiently 
severe to bring people to their windows to see what had happened; then 
came the terrific explosion which raze<l the city and created so much 
havoc. It was at this time that so many people were injured by the glass. 

A number of cases of insanity were reported following the disaster, but 
at Bellevue we had only one such. This was a woman who finally created 
so much disturl)ance that it became necessary to transfer her to the hos- 
pital for insane across the harbor, at Dartmouth. Cases of mild shell 
shock, while not officially appearing on the hospital records, were not 
infrequent. 

Many people came to the hos])ital simj^ly for a roof to 
cover them, rather than to obtain treatment. 

The work of every member of the Halifax contingent, 
under the leadershij) of Mr. Ratshesky, cannot be given too 
high praise; yet it should be stated that the services rendered 
by Captain Loring were probably more specifically exacting 
than any other. This was due to the multiplicity of injuries 
to the eye, which called him to constant service between 

202 



Bellevue, the Military Hospital, the Halifax Infimiary and 
the Camp Hill Hospital. 

Mr. Macllreith, chairman of the Relief Committee, ad- 
dressed the following letter to Major Giddings : — 

Halifax, N. S., December 13, 1917. 
Dear Major Giddings : — At a meeting of the Executive of the ReUef 
Committee, held this afternoon, it was the earnest desire of all the mem- 
bers tliat before the Medical Corps of the State of Massachusetts took 
its departure from Halifax a formal minute should be placed on our rec- 
ords, which in the future will be the basis of the official history of the 
Halifax disaster, expressing the Committee's deep appreciation of the 
prompt and humane action of the authorities in Boston in despatching 
your corps to Halifax, and of the professional efficiency and noble spirit 
which you and all members of your unit have exhibited since coming to 
our stricken city. We shall always bear you in grateful remembrance, and 
wish you a safe journey home. 

Yours truly, 

R. T. M\cIlreith, 
Chairman, Relief Committee. 



The accompanying figures will give some idea 
amount of medical and surgical services rendered 
short period : — 

Total out-patients treated, 

Visits in homes, 

Hours spent in advisory capacity, .... 

Combined surgical and medical service: — 

Total house admissions, 

Total operations done (exclusive of eye service), . 

Total discharges, 

Total ethers, 

Total ether used (pounds), 

Total cases turned over to Rhode Island Unit, 

Eye service, Dr. Loring: — 

Total cases seen at Bellevue, 

Total cases seen at Cogswell Street Military Hospital 
Total cases seen at Halifax Infirmarv, . 



Total operations at Bellevue, 

Total operations at Cogswell Street Military Hospital 
Total operations at Halifax Infirmary, . . . . 



of the 
in this 



167 
53 

23 



27 
85 
10 



18 
15 

2 



75 
10 
17 
46 

Sh 
58 



122 



35 



203 



The above list does not include a great many patients 
who were treated at the hospital, and in regard to whom no 
clinical records were kept. 

The immediate results of the catastrophe were 1,800 lives 
lost; 10,000 people injured, many mortally, others to a less 
degree, though all in need of medical attendance; 2,500 
homes entirely destroyed, together with ruined churches, 
schools, hospitals, asylums, public buildings, factories and 
warehouses. There was, in fact, scarcely a building that 
escaped without some damage, and all glass throughout the 
greater part of the city was shattered. The financial loss 
exceeded $30,000,000. 

On Friday, January 4, 1918, a second visiting committee, 
comprising Henry B. Endicott, chairman, James J. Phelan, 
vice-chairman, Robert Winsor, treasurer, A. C. Ratshesky 
and Joseph B. Russell, left for Halifax. On their arrival 
Sunday, January 6, the Committee immediately met with 
the Executive Committee of the Halifax Relief Committee, 
and did not adjourn until late the same night, to come 
together again early the following morning. Many proposi- 
tions were brought forward at this meeting relating to the 
administration of the fund in the Committee's possession 
and the best use to which it could be put. 

Meanwhile it was concluded by the Massachusetts con- 
tingent that the most satisfactory results would be obtained 
by buying furniture for those families who had lost in whole 
or in i)art their household equipment, thus re-establishing 
as far as possil)le their home life. This plan coincided with 
the views of the Halifax Committee, and the following 
Halifax men and women were appointed to represent Mas- 
sachusetts at Halifax in the disbursement of the fund: — ■ 

G. F. Pearson, Chairman. 
A. D. MacRae, Secretary. 



Mrs. G. S. Campbell. 
Mrs. J. Norwood Diiffus. 
R. T. Macllreith. 



H. R. Silver. 
W. R. Powell. 



204 



It was agreed by both Committees that in a general way 
this fund should be expended in behalf of those who had 
wholly or partially lost their furniture and were unable of 
themselves to make good their losses, and that they should 
have their homes refurnished on the basis of what they had 
lost. For this purpose $500,000 was set aside; yet, as it 
proved later, only one-half of this amount was required. 
The outlay originally judged necessary had been based 
partly on the prices obtaining at Halifax, but when the 
Committee returned home they were able to get bottom 
prices, and, in addition, the Canadian authorities remitted 
all duties on relief goods crossing the border. It was generally 
acknowledged by the recipients and by the Halifax Com- 
mittee that the furniture was of superior quality to what 
those receiving it had originally possessed. The difference 
between what was paid here and the cost of the same goods 
at Halifax amounted to about $300,000. 

The necessity of caring in the future for many cases of 
actual and threatened blindness resulting from the calamity 
was brought to the attention of the Committee by Sir Fred- 
erick Fraser. In compliance with his views an additional 
allowance of $25,000 was made for the immediate care and 
education of these special cases, and the best advice possible 
was sought for the supervision of its expenditure. 

The Halifax branch of the Massachusetts Halifax Relief 
Committee was also empowered to spend a limited amount 
of money in all cases where prompt action was necessary, 
after a majority vote and with the written approval of at 
least three members of its Committee. This rule was to 
apply also to all requisitions upon the Boston Committee 
for materials of any sort. 

Subsequent to the return from Halifax of the second 
visiting committee, the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Com- 
mittee in Boston, together with its Halifax branch, worked 
to organize and carry out the general plans of relief 
so far as they came within the scope of the subscribed 
fund. 

205 



On June 24, 1918, the Massachusetts Committee met at 
the State House to discuss more particularly the questions 
of tuberculosis and the blind in Halifax, and it was voted 
to ask Mr. James Jackson of the Red Cross to obtain an 
expert from the Rockefeller Foundation, who should investi- 
gate and report to the Committee what the conditions were 
in these respects. 

As a result of this vote Dr. Victor G. Heiser, director for 
the East of the Rockefeller Foundation, International Health 
Board, New York City, met the Committee at the State 
House on June 9, and later went at their request to Halifax 
to investigate the whole question of tuberculosis and blind- 
ness as it there existed, especially so far as chargeable to 
the disaster. Dr. Heiser, realizing that the vital principle 
governing convalescence would be the hygienic conditions 
pertaining throughout the city, and in conjunction with the 
Halifax branch of the Massachusetts Relief Committee, by 
whom he was provided with every facility, made an inde- 
pendent and exhaustive investigation of public health con- 
ditions in the city, and submitted to the Committee at 
Boston his report of a constructive health program for 
Halifax. His recommendations were strongly endorsed by 
the members of the Halifax branch in a report made by 
them under date of August 13, 1918, as being directly in 
the interest of those who had suffered or might suffer from 
the effects of the disaster; and it was further advised that 
Dr. Heiser's suggestions be carried out. Under date of 
November 5 Mr. Pearson, chairman of the Halifax branch, 
sent the following letter to Mr. Endicott: — 

Tlio undersigned has the lienor, by direction of the Massachusetts 
Hahfax Rehef Committee, IlaHfax Ijrancli, to rei)ort as follows: — 

Your Halifax Committee is of opinion, as you have been previously 
advised both by written and verbal reports, that the rehabilitation of the 
people of Halifax and Dartmouth, following the explosion of December G, 
1917, resolved itself into the following phases, viz.: — 

1. The provision of immediate relief in the way of medical attendance, 
medical supplies, food, clothing, building materials and means of trans- 
portation. Before the appointment of this Connnittee, and under your 

206 



direction, the people of Massachusetts had made instant and most valu- 
able contributions to this phase. 

2. The provision of temporary dwellings, and the making of the same 
habitable by the provision of household furnishings. The temporary 
dwellings have been provided by the Halifax Relief Commission. This 
Conunittee, under your instructions, devotetl itself to tlie provision of 
household furnishings for those persons who had lost their furniture in the 
explosion and were, wholly or partially, unable to replace it themselves. 
What has been accomplished along this line has been fully reported to 
you, but generally it may be said that when the applications on hand are 
dealt with and furniture delivered, approximately 1,800 families will have 
received gifts of furnishings from this Committee, involving an expendi- 
ture of approximately $200,000. Because of the favorable prices obtained 
from the manufacturers of Massachusetts, the remission of Canadian 
duties by the Dominion government, and the advantage taken of lowest 
transportation rates, goods of a similar nature purchased in the Halifax 
market at this time would have cost, in the opinion of this Committee, 
practically three times as much. When the applications in hand for gifts 
of furnishings have all been dealt with, in the judgment of this Committee, 
all necessitous persons in the city of Halifax who suffered loss of furnishings 
by reason of the explosion, and who have applied to this Committee, will 
have been cared for either through the instrumentality of this Committee, 
by the Halifax Relief Conunission or by co-operation of both of these 
bodies. 

3. The provision of permanent homes for those whose homes were 
destroyed on December 6 last. This work is properly the duty of the 
Halifax Relief Commission, which has embarked on an extensive policy 
of rebuilding homes or providing compensation for those whose homes 
were destroyed. 

4. The care of the blind and the provision of pensions for those whose 
earning capacity has been impaired by ]>hysical disability incident upon 
the explosion. To the care of tlie blind the Massachusetts Halifax Relief 
Committee has already appropriated the sum of $25,000, which will be 
used in conjunction with other funds provided from other sources to carry 
out a policy now in course of preparation with respect to those blinded 
by the tlisaster. The provision of pensions or disability allowances conies 
properly within the scope of the Halifax Relief Commission, which has 
a settled policy in this regard and is adjusting and paying all claims of 
this character. 

5. The readjustment an<l improvement of the public health conditions 
of the city, which were seriously impaired as a result of the disaster. Your 
Halifax Committee is seriously apprehensive of the damage done to the 
health of this community following the explosion. Exposure, privation 
and overcrowding during the severe and inclement weather following the 

207 



6th of December, undoubtedly, in the opinion of all competent judges, 
has left its mark upon the general health of this community. This fact is 
so exhaustively dealt with in the letters accompanying this report that it 
is unnecessary to go into it at length here. Tliese facts also have been the 
subject of other reports, verbal and written, with the result that iipon our 
recommendation that you send an expert to this city to study the subject, 
you sent to this city Dr. Victor G. Hciser of the Rockefeller Foimdation, 
New York City. AMien Dr. Heiser came to Halifax, your Connuittee was 
glad to be able to provide him with all facilities required by him for the 
purpose of making an intlependent and impartial investigation into piiblic 
health conditions in this city and Dartmouth. Dr. Heiser consulted w-ith 
everybody in authority having to deal with any branch of the public 
health of this city. His report, which you forwarded to this Connuittee, 
has been given most careful consideration, and this Committee is unani- 
mously of the opinion that it is distinctly to the interest of this city and 
of the citizens generally that the recommendations made by Dr. Heiser 
should be carried out. This Committee believes that such a policy would 
be the capst(me to the splendid efforts the i)eople of the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts have made for the relief of our city. The opinion of this 
Committee in this regard is endorsed by : — 

His Worship the Mayor and the Board of Control, representing the 
citizens of Halifax. 

The presi<lent and council of the Board of Trade, representing the busi- 
ness life of the city and embracing seven hundred members. 

The president and members of the Commercial Club, also represent- 
ing the business life of this community and embracing four hvmdred 
members. 

The president and members of the Rotary Club, representative of the 
business and professional life of this city and embracing one lumdrcd and 
fifty members. 

The president and members of the Halifax Medical Association, repre- 
sentative of the medical ])rofession of this city. 

The president and members of the Halifax Anti-Tuberculosis League. 

The president and members of the Victorian Order of Nurses. 

The chairman and members of the City Board of Health. 

Dr. W. H. Hattie, Provincial Health Officer. 

The Halifax Relief Commission, who will co-operate in carrying out 
such policy. 

The undersigned begs to attach lierelo the endorsations in writing of 
the various bodies above referred to. 

Your Halifax Connuittee, therefore, begs respectfully to recommend 
that, generally, the recommendation of Dr. Victor G. Heiser, contained 
in a report to you under date of August 13, 1918, be carried out. If this 

^208 



policy be determined upon by your Committee, your Halifax Committee 
will be glad, if required, to make detailed suggestions with respect to the 
organization and personnel of a committee to carry the recommendations 
into effect. 

The opportunity to permanently help those stricken or 
threatened with blindness or tuberculosis as a result of the 
explosion was at once recognized as a part of the obligation 
resting on the Committee, and one due to those citizens who 
made possible the immediate relief and had committed 
themselves to rehabilitation. Therefore on November 15, 
at a meeting of the Committee, it was voted as follows : — 

Voted, That the treasurer be and he is hereby authorized to expend 
for the rehabilitation of the city of Halifax the sum of $50,000 a year for 
the period of five years beginning Avith the year 1919, such sums to be 
used for the restoration and improvement of the sanitary conditions of 
the city and the health of its inhabitants, in accordance with a general 
plan outlined in a report prepared for the Committee by Dr. Victor G. 
Heiser of the Rockeieller Foundation, dated July 25, 1918, and in a 
further letter from Dr. Heiser to this Committee, dated August 13, 1918, 
and also in a letter from G. Fred Pearson, Esq., chairman of the Halifax 
branch, Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee, to the chairman of this 
Committee, dated October 11, 1918. This report and these letters shall 
be annexed to this Aote and made a part hereof for the purposes of setting 
forth in detail the purposes for which the money appropriated by this vote 
shall be expended. This appropriation is made and the authority of the 
treasurer to expend the sums of money aboAc set forth is given upon the 
following conditions, and no expenditure or payment shall be made by the 
treasurer unless and until such conditions shall be duly fulfilled: — 

1. The city of Halifax shall establish by incorjxjration or otherwise a 
commission, 1 corporation, or other public agency, which shall be respon- 
sible for the receipt and disbursement of the moneys which may be paid 
to it during the jjcriod of five years by the treasurer of this Committee, 
and which shall further undertake and be responsible for the formation 
of a definite program for the rehabilitation of the city of Halifax in accord- 
ance with the report and letter of Dr. Heiser and letter of Mr. Pearson. 
The chairman and treasurer are hereby authorized on behalf of this Com- 
mittee to approve the form of public agency which shall be created by the 
city of Halifax for this purpose, and are further authorized to enter into 

^ See Appendix for act, p. 554. 

209 



any contract on behalf of this Committee with the city of HaHfax, or such 
pubHc agency as may be necessary, to satisfy themselves that the money 
paid by the treasurer through sucli })erio(l of five years shall be disbursed 
for the purpose of rehabilitation in accordance with the plans described in 
the report and letters above referred to. 

2. The treasurer, at such time or times as in his discretion he may deem 
advisable, may employ experts in accounting, numicipal sanitation, pub- 
lic hygiene, or other kindred subjects, to examine the books and actions of 
the public agency having charge of the disbursement of the funds appro- 
priated by this Committee, and if as a result of the report or reports of 
such experts he is of the opinion that the moneys or any part thereof have 
not been disbursed by such public agency in accordance with this vote, or 
are not being used for the purpose above set forth, he shall make no further 
expeuditures or payments under the authority of this vote without further 
vote of this Committee. 

3. No payments shall be made in any year during the period of five 
years by the treasurer to the city of Halifax or the public agency above 
referred to until he is satisfied that there has been paid or will be paid in 
the same year to the city of Halifax or to such public agency the sum of 
$15,000 by the Canadian government Halifax Relief Committee, and tlie 
sum of $10,000 by the Province of Nova Scotia and the city of Halifax, 
which sums shall be applicable for disbursement by said public agency for 
the purpose set forth in the report and letters above referred to, and shall 
actually be applied and disbursed for such purpose. 

4. The expenses incurred by the treasurer for the reports of the expert 
above referred to, and any other expenses incurretl by him for the pur- 
pose of satisfying himself from time to time that the conditions set forth 
in this vote have been fulfilled, including counsel fees, may be paid by 
him from the annual appropriations of $50,000 above referred to, and in 
the event of such expenses being incurred by him he may pay over to the 
city of Halifax or the public agency appointed to receive and disburse the 
sum only the balance of such annual appropriations of $50,000. 

5. Subject to the conditions above set forth, and upon the fulfillment 
thereof, tlie treasurer shall annually during said period of five years pay 
the sum of $50,000, or such balance as shall remain after the payments 
referred to in the previous paragraph, in one sum or in such instalments 
as in his discretion he shall deem wise, to the city of Halifax or the public 
agency above described, to be disbursed by it for the rehabilitation of 
the city in accordance with the plans described in the report and in the 
letters of Dr. Heiser and Mr. Pearson, and the receipt of the city of Hali- 
fax or of such public agency for sums received by it from the treasurer of 
this Committee shall discharge the treasurer from any liability of any 
character whatsoever for the application of the monej's so paid by him. 

210 



This action on the part of the Committee was immediately 
made pubHc, in order that the Commonwealth might know 
of the assistance which her generous gifts were still render- 
ing in behalf of a friendly neighbor, now our Ally in the 
Great War. 

The above vote, based on the recommendations of Dr. 
Heiser, constituted a well thought out plan for a constructive 
health program extending over five years, and was designed 
to make good, in a permanent way, the health damage 
caused by the explosion, the annual expense of which was 
to be shared as follows : — 

Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee, $50,000 

Canadian government Halifax Relief Commission, 15,000 

Province of Nova Scotia and the city of Halifax, at least, . 10,000 



$75,000 

At the request of the Red Cross several of their repre- 
sentatives accompanied the first relief train to Halifax. 
Their work, helpful throughout, proved to be of incalculable 
assistance to the Committee. Mr. Endicott wrote : — - 

The aid that the Red Cross has given to the Committee in this emer- 
gency cannot be overestimated, and thQ\' have certainly demonstrated 
that they possess an organization which, when it is called upon in an emer- 
gency, can and will respond promptly and nobly. 

It must be borne in mind that the Halifax Relief Com- 
mittee was financed neither from the Committee on Public 
Safety's fund of $100,000 given by a generous citizenship, 
nor from the $1,000,000 appropriation of the Legislature, 
but through a special popular subscription given in behalf 
of a stricken neighbor. Although the work of rehabilitation 
will continue for some years to come, and remain within the 
control of the branch of the Massachusetts Committee at 
Halifax, its relation to the Massachusetts Committee on 
Public Safety ceased at the time the latter was dissolved, 
in November, 1918. 

211 



INLVSSACIIUSETTS HALIFAX ReLIEF FtTND, JuLY 1, 1919 

Treasurers Statement 

Total subscriptions, $699,189 91 

Rebates on bills, 192 36 

Interest on deposit, 17,095 35 



Total receipts, $716,477 62 

Expenditures for: — 

$32,214 55 

23,167 36 

261,702 29 

40,369 64 

95,164 95 



Clothing, 
Material, 
Furniture, 
Supplies, 
Other essentials 



Total expenditures, 452,618 79 



Balance on hand, $263,858 83 

On deposit as follows : — 

Shawmut Bank, $161,180 84 

United States Trust Company, 102,677 99 



$263,858 83 



212 



CHAPTER VI 

COMMITTEE ON COMMONWEALTH MILITARY 
EMERGENCY HOSPITAL 

James J. Plielan, Chairman. 

Joseph B. Russell, Vice-Chairman. 

George H. Lyman, Secretary. 
Col. William A. Brooks. 
Adj. -Gen. Jesse F. Stevens, Custo- 
dian. 



Brig. -Gen. John A. Johnston, 

U. S. A. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
John F. Stevens. 



In January, 1918, the casualties at the front began to be 
Hsted in the home papers, and the possibihty of a troopship 
returning to our shores with invahded soldiers brought about 
an investigation of hospital accommodations. This inquiry 
revealed that the normal bed capacity of the hospitals in 
Massachusetts was only 6,000, which under stress of circum- 
stances might possibly be pushed to 9,000. 

Dr. Brooks, Acting Surgeon-General of the Common- 
wealth, and head of the Brooks Hospital, Brookline, was the 
first to realize the serious danger of the situation, and sug- 
gested that the large riding-ring at the Commonwealth 
Avenue Armory, Boston, might be converted into an emer- 
gency hospital. This idea he submitted to the Committee 
on Public Safety, who approved the plan and brought it to 
the attention of Governor McCall. 

It was argued that the necessity of establishing such a 
hospital was imperative in the interests of the public safety, 
though it was always recognized that the hospital might 
never have to be used, or, if at all, only temporarily. At 
the same time it was pointed out that under any circum- 
stances the State would not suffer material loss, because 
€Ven if the hospital had to be abandoned, its fittings, furnish- 

213 



ing and material would always remain useful for any sudden 
emergency or for pennanent institutions under State control, 
or could be turned over to the military forces. This position 
was fully justified at the time of the influenza epidemic, 
when the necessities of the temporary hospitals were largely 
supplied from the Commonwealth Emergency Hospital. 

On His Excellency's representation and advice the Council 
appropriated $50,000 from the Massachusetts War Emer- 
gency Fund of $1,000,000 to establish and equip the Com- 
monwealth Emergency Hospital, under the general charge 
of the Committee on Public Safety. 

The Committee, as above constituted, met on January 
21, and voted that the entire medical control of the hos- 
pital should be placed in Dr. Brooks's hands, with full 
powers, and that the custody of the property should be put 
in charge of Adjutant-General Stevens. Dr. Brooks was 
also authorized to engage the services of a matron and 
nurse to take charge of surgical instruments, dressings, 
supplies, etc., whose yearly salary was not to exceed $1,800. 

The hospital was equipped to the last detail, and during 
the entire period of its existence had two trained nurses on 
duty or on call during each twenty -four hours. It could at 
any time have been opened and put into running order on 
four hours' notice. The State, however, is to be congratu- 
lated that no necessity for its use ever arose; its purpose 
was merely in the way of insurance. 

The floor space allotted at the armory, 175 by 300 feet, 
was divided into twenty-two wards built of matched boards 
with canvas roofs sliding on wooden frames, and was venti- 
lated at the top. It contained 44-0 beds. Passageways were 
so arranged as to make it possible for a large number of 
ambulances to drive on to tlie floor of the hospital and 
unload simultaneously. This last was a very important 
feature, as in most hospitals, owing to poor facilities for 
receiving the patients at the point of entrance, there is 
customarily a long delay in bringing them in, especially if 
a large number arrive at about the same time. The beds, 

214 



moreover, were so disposed as to enable the ambulances to 
come up to the side of the bed to which the patient was as- 
signed. Inasmuch as on investigation it was found that there 
were practically no transportation facilities to meet a great 
emergency even under normal circumstances, the purchase of 
twenty standard Ford ambulances was authorized at a cost 
not to exceed $15,000. In addition to the above, a White 
ambulance was given by the Retail Trade Board of the 
Boston Chamber of Commerce, two Fords by the Massa- 
chusetts Golf Association, and a General Motor Company's 
ambulance by the Knights of Pythias. 

The experience of the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Com- 
mittee proved how invaluable would have been the aid 
rendered at the time of that disaster if an emergency truck 
had been obtainable and established in the center of, or near 
to, the devastated district, where people suffering from 
severe cuts, burns and other injuries might have been re- 
lieved to a great extent from unnecessary pain, and in 
many cases saved the necessity of going to a hospital. 
Accordingly, the Emergency Hospital Committee had two 
Pierce-Arrow trucks made with special bodies, and equipped 
them with a supply of dressings and with attendants ready 
for service. These trucks, of 2-ton capacity, bought and 
furnished at a total cost of about $5,000, were each capable 
of carrying six or seven physicians and nurses, and both 
were fitted with the necessary appliances for making hot 
coffee and giving a limited supply of food and stimulants. 

On or about the 1st of April, 1919, the Council decided 
that there was no longer a chance of any hospital emergency 
resulting from the war. Thereupon, through the Adjutant- 
General's office, the order was given to store all the beds 
and bedding and dispose of the equipment. These directions 
were carried out, and the Commonwealth left without any 
emergency hospital, a situation which is deeply to be re- 
gretted, since the maintenance of an institution of that 
character would provide against incalculable suffering in 
case of any great disaster. 

215 



The total ainoiint expended by the Committee in behalf 
of the hospital, including ambulances, equipment, salaries 
of nurses, etc., was $81,941.54, 

COMMITTEE ON TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION OF 
DISABLED SOLDIERS AND SAILORS 

James J. Phelan, Chairman. 



J. Randolpli Coolidge, Jr. 
George H. Lyman. 
Guv Murchie. 



J. Frank O'Hare. 
John F. Stevens. 
Col. Jesse F. Stevens. 



In his inaugural address of January 3, 1918, Governor 
McCall said: — 

I . . . recommend the study of the question of educating men who 
may find it necessary, on account of injury received in the service, to re- 
new the same or adopt some form of employment other than that which 
they had followed before entering the service, should the national govern- 
ment not make proper provision for such kind of education. 

The Committee on Public Safety, wishing to give effect 
to this recommendation, decided to petition for legislation 
of the following scope. It was desired to recruit the indus- 
tries of Massachusetts from returning soldiers and sailors, 
residents of the State, discharged from the service of either 
the United States or its Allies. It was assumed that where 
partial disability had been incurred in war service it might 
be -necessary and desirable to train the discharged soldier 
and sailor so as to fit him for employment in the industries 
carried on in Massachusetts, make him independent of 
charitable aid, and preserve his self-respect. 

It was recognized that the Feileral government woidd in 
all probability undertake the re-education and training of 
men disabled in the service of the country, but until legis- 
lation should be secured by action of Congress there might 
be an interval in which no public provision woidd exist 
unless action were taken by the State Legislature. It was 
also deemed important to authorize the Governor to make 

21G 



use of any existing: State hospital, school or workshop for 
the purpose of education or training, whether or not ade- 
quate measures were taken by the State or by the Federal 
government; and it was believed that contracts could be 
made by the agents of the State for the training of individual 
soldiers and sailors, later to be assigned to any Federal 
agency created for the purpose of providing this education. 

The Committee on Public Safety was convinced that it 
would be of advantage to the State, on the one hand, if 
men capable of finding employment in its industries should 
be encouraged to accept training, and to the Federal govern- 
ment, on the other, to distribute the men for whose training 
it was responsible among the trade schools of Massachusetts, 
and also among the industries that were ready to provide 
training, each in its own specialty. 

The Committee prepared a bill which was somewhat 
modified by committees of the Legislature, but was enacted 
as chapter 230 of the General Acts of 1918. Under this 
statute the Board of Education was directed to establish a 
division for the training and instruction of disabled soldiers 
and sailors resident in Massachusetts at the time of their 
discharge, or within one year thereafter. The division was 
to consist of an executive head appointed by the Board of 
Education, and an advisory board, who should pass upon 
questions of educational policy, and assist in placing men 
after their training was completed. The act authorized the 
Governor to transfer with the consent of the Council the 
use and custody of any State hospital, school or workshop, 
including the equipment and employees, or any other 
suitable resources of the Commonwealth, to the Board of 
Education for a period not exceeding two years after the 
tennination of the war. It authorized the Board of Educa- 
tion to make contracts to provide similar facilities where 
needed, and to employ teachers and supervisors for soldiers 
and sailors under re-education. The Governor was author- 
ized to lease to, or permit to be used by, the United States 
or any agency thereof any suitable resources belonging to 

217 



tlie Coimnomvcalth for the purpose of re-edii cation and re- 
habilitation in industry of soldiers and sailors in the service 
of the United States or of its Allies. An appropriation of 
$10,000 was made to provide the necessary exiJcnditures 
under this legislation during* the fiscal year of 1918. The 
act was approved on May ^28, 1918, and only after that date 
did Massachusetts boys disabled in military or naval service 
have a title to its benefits. It was, however, looked u])on 
as a stop-gap in case of protracted delay by the Federal 
government in making similar provision for disabled soldiers 
and sailors in the service of the United States. On June 21 
the Federal Board for ^^ocational Education was directed 
by act of Congress to organize the training and placement 
of such men after their discharge from government hospitals, 
and an initial ajij^ropriation of $2,000,000 gave the Board 
financial means sufficient for the undertaking. 

The Governor's intention was carried into effect in form 
by the Legislature, and in substance, as it should have 
been, bv the action of the national government. 



COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT — COUNCIL 
OF NATIONAL DEFENSE 

In the summer of 1918 the Council of National Defense 
created a Highways Transport Committee under the chair- 
manship of Mr. Roy D. Chapin of Detroit, the purpose of 
which was to bring about through a State Committee (ap- 
pointed by the Committee on Public Safety or State Council 
of National Defense in each State) an effective and econom- 
ical use of the i)ublic highways by motor vehicles, particularly 
those serving the needs of the army or of the industries 
accessory to the prosecution of the war. The establishment 
of Return I^oad Bureaus of rural motor express lines, and 
the co-ordination of highway transportation with trans- 
portation by water and by rail, seemed to demand careful 
attention with a view to improving the distribution of food 
supplies and to conserving materials and labor in connection 

218 



with motor transportation. Incidentally, the maintenance 
of service over important highways liable to be closed by 
snowfall or spring thawing called for expert study and 
public action. 

The scheme of organization of the Highways Transport 
Connnittee included eleven regional directors, appointed by 
the Council of National Defense. Of these, the director in 
charge of New England, not including Connecticut, was to 
have his headquarters in Boston, and to keep in touch with 
the Committees on Public Safety of Maine, New Hamp- 
shire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The 
Council of National Defense, through Mr. Chapin, ap- 
pointed as regional director for Region No. 1, Mr. J. 
Randolph Coolidge, Jr., of Boston, formerly President of 
the Boston Chamber of Commerce. At the invitation of the 
Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety, Mr. Coolidge 
had the use of its offices at the State House. 

In August, 1918, the Council of National Defense asked 
the Committee on Public Safety to create a State Com- 
mittee on Highways Transport, to succeed to the functions 
of its Committee on Motors and Trucks, and to assume the 
additional undertakings planned for it in Washington. 

This request was at once complied with, but the signing 
of the armistice brought the Committee on Public Safety's 
efforts to a close before the plan could be fully carried out. 

Had the war continued, Massachusetts, with its excep- 
tional activity in motor truck transportation, would doubt- 
less have helped largely in solving the problems which the 
Highways Transport Committee of the Council of National 
Defense was created to study. 



219 



CH.\PTER VII 
COMMITTEE ON AMERICANIZATION 

On April 23, 1917, the following Committee was ap- 
pointed : — 

Alexander ^^^liteside, Chairman. 



B. Preston Clark. 
Chauncev H. Brewer. 



Bernard J. Rockwell. 
David A. Ellis. 



It has been repeatedly asked what was the direct purpose 
of this Committee, and what the need for its formation. 
Indeed, what was meant by the term "Americanization" 
has often seemed to be uncertain. It might be answered: 
Americanization is to teach the foreign elements of our citi- 
zenship the greatness of this country, both physical and 
spiritual; to interpret to them its system and aspirations; 
to inculcate in their minds and souls the American idea and 
what it offers; to banish illiteracy and ignorance; to teach 
all men to honor our flag for what it stands for, and to 
revere it as the symbol of their hopes and affections. 

In Massachusetts, with its extended industrial activities 
employing nearly 400,000 foreign-born citizens, Americani- 
zation had become in these times of great labor unrest a 
necessity, and its neglect a menace. At the outset the Com- 
mittee on Public Safety, realizing the importance of edu- 
cating and assimilating this foreign element in our midst, 
appointed as one of its sub-committees a Committee on 
Patriotic Activities among Non-English Speaking Peoples, 
a name later changed to the Committee on Patriotic Assimi- 
lation, which organized similar committees in many cities 
and towns. It soon became apparent, however, that con- 
siderable overlapping of effort and great confusion resulted 
due to the formation locally of independent committees of 
like character, so that much time was lost. Finally, at the 
request of the Council of National Defense, the Committee 

220 



on Public Safety, in an endeavor to co-ordinate all American- 
ization work undertaken in the Commonwealth, formed 
the Committee on Americanization, June 4, 1918. 

About 3 per cent of the entire population of the State 
can neither read nor write any language. Eleven and one 
half per cent (228,0G'2) of those ten years of age or over, 
though able to read and write some language, have no 
knowledge of English. Secretary Lane of the Interior 
Department stated that in the whole United States there 
were over 5,500,000 of the above ages equally ignorant, of 
which number practically 4,500,000 were twenty years of 
age or over. 

Again, three-tenths of the Massachusetts population is 
foreign born, and one-half of this number come from non- 
English speaking countries. 

Mr. James A. Moyer, head of the Department of Uni- 
versity Extension, State Board -of Education, in a bulletin 
issued by him and from which the above figures are taken, 
says : — 

It is perhaps fair to conclude that the people in general have not fully 
understood the significance of the presence in our body politic of this large 
iniassimilated mass of humanity, — a most potential power for good or 
evil. 

On June 5, at the request of the Federal government, the 
Committee on Public Safety and the Massachusetts Divi- 
sion of the Women's Council of National Defense called 
together a large meeting of the civic organizations and indi- 
viduals advocating Americanization, in order to promote a 
general interest in the movement and to lay plans for an 
effective co-ordination. At this meeting, which was largely 
attended, it was determined that in carrying on the work all 
agencies were to act voluntarily and without any coercion. 
A resolution offered by Mr. E. F. McGrady, Secretary- 
Treasurer of the Boston Central Labor LTnion, pledging the 
co-operation of all present in support of the Committee's 
undertaking, was unanimously agreed to. 

221 



The Americanization Committee divided itself into four- 
teen sub -committees, — Executive, Publicity, Community 
Organizations, Racial Groups, Education, Industry, Labor, 
Naturalization, Immigration, Peace Activities, Speakers, 
Private Agencies, Women's Organization, and Public 
Agencies in National Problems. 

This extensive organization was being energetically per- 
fected when the war ended. The Committee on the Termi- 
nation of War Activities, appointed by Governor McCall 
to wind up the affairs of the Committee on Public Safety, 
expressed its earnest recommendation that the work of the 
Committee on Americanization should be continued in the 
future by means of State and national agencies. 

COMMITTEE ON LANDLORD AND TENANT — WAR 
PROFITEERING 



George H. Lyman, Chairman. 
W. L. Putnam, Secretary. 



Samuel L. Powers. 
Robert Winsor. 
John F. Stevens. 



P. R. Frothingham. 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thaver. 



In August, 1918, Mr. George P. Hyde, housing adjuster 
of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, and Mr, Henry A. 
Burnham, head of the real estate department of the Ship- 
building Corporation at Quincy, called to the attention of 
the Committee on Public Safety the unsatisfactory relations 
existing between landlord and tenant at Quincy, due to the 
concentration of workmen in localities where 'war work was 
being carried on, and to the shortage of dwellings to harbor 
them. Tenants, employees of the Ship Building Corpora- 
tion, found themselves without redress in case of exorbitant 
increases in rent, the delayed payment of which caused 
threatened ejectment under the owners' common-law right. 
The subject embraced the whole question of landlord and 
tenant in its relation to war profiteering. 

The landlord protested that the charges he had to pay for 

222 



food, fire, insurance, taxes, coal, interest on mortgages, and 
the up-keep of his realty holdings, had materially advanced. 
All this was undeniably true. On the other hand, the argu- 
ment was made that as the whole country was sacrificing, 
the landlords should patriotically do their share as soldiers 
of the home army. 

Mr. Endicott brought the matter to the attention of 
Acting Governor Coolidge, who, under the authority con- 
ferred upon the Executive by the Commonwealth Defence 
Act, to meet all exigencies that might arise relating to the 
public defense, on the 28th of August, 1918, issued the 
following proclamation : — 

Whereas, The necessity for greatly increased production of munitions 
of war, ships and materials required for the prosecution of the present war 
has made necessary the assemblage in locaUties where the same are pro- 
duced of large numbers of workmen, and thereby has created a shortage in 
the supply of dwelling places for such workers and their families; and 

It appears that, while the majority of landlords are recognizing the 
needs of their country and dealing fairly with their tenants, certain un- 
patriotic persons in these localities are unduly increasing rents, unjustly 
evicting or seeking to evict such workmen and their families unless their 
demands for the payment of exorbitant and unreasonably high rentals 
are complied with, and thereby handicapping and embarrassing the Fed- 
eral authorities in steps designed to secure a successful prosecution of the 
war, and consequently prejudicing and threatening the public safety and 
welfare of the Commonwealth; 

Now, therefore, I, Calvin Coolidge, Lieutenant-Governor, Acting Gov- 
ernor, by virtue of authority vested in me by chapter 342 of the General 
Acts of 1917, having determined that circumstances warrant the exercise 
of the powers hereinafter mentioned, do hereby, with the approval of the 
Council, confer upon the following-named person, to wit, Henry B. Endi- 
cott, executive manager of the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee, 
the power and authority in the name of the Governor of the Common- 
wealth to take possession of any buildings and so much of the land of the 
owners of such buildings adjacent thereto as he may determine, which 
buildings are or may be occupied by workmen or the families of workmen 
employed in the production of munitions of war, ships, or articles, mate- 
rials or substances directly or indirectly used or employed in the prosecu- 
tion of the war, for such time and in such manner as he shall deem for the 
interests of the Commonwealth or its inhabitants, together with the power 
and authority granted by section 23 of said act to conduct any investiga- 

223 



tion he deems expedient with reference to housing facilities for war workers, 
to publish, as therein authorized, any data obtained, and, in making such 
investigation, to exercise all the jwwers which might be exercised by the 
Governor by virtue of said section in aid thereof. 

And I do hereby direct him forthwith to prepare and publish rules and 
regulations governing the conduct and action of such landowners and 
landlords with reference to Such properties and tenants, in default of the 
observance of which the powers hereby conferred will be exercised. 
Wit7U'SS my hand this twenty-eighth day of August, 1918. 

Calvin Coolidge. 
Approved in Council August 28, 1918. 

E. F. Hamlin, 
Executive Secretary. 

On the same date Mr. Endicott, after appointing the 
above Committee, delegated to them the powers given to 
him under the Governor's proclamation. 

Immediately applications in person and by letter began 
to pour in from every direction, complaining of increases in 
rent and often demanding the reduction of long-established 
pre-war rentals. At least one-half of the cases brought to 
the attention of the Committee were associated in no waj'^ 
whatever with government emplo^anent or dwellings within 
homing distance of government activities. In order to pre- 
vent further misunderstandings, and to take advantage of 
the patriotism of the landlords and avoid as far as possible 
requisitioning or other drastic procedure, the Committee 
advised Mr. Endicott to issue the following statement : — 

Keep Rents Low 

We have all noticed the influx of workmen into certain places in Massa- 
chusetts where there are munition plants, shipbuilding plants, and similar 
great industries doing government work or other necessary war work. 

This has given great opportunity to owners of real estate to show their 
patriotism by keeping their rents as low as present conditions warrant, 
and refraining from taking advantage of the opportunities offered for 
profiteering. 

The splendid spirit with which every one has responded to all i)atriotic 
requests shows that the people are glad to have ways pointed out to them 
in which to prove their readiness to make sacrifices for the government and 
for the boys over there." 

224 



Having been very recently directed by the Governor to make investi- 
gation of alleged profiteering, and if necessary to take possession of land 
where the welfare of the Commonwealth requires it, it has seemed to us 
wise, as a first step, to make this appeal to the patriotism of landlords and 
of those having rooms to let, with the full confidence that the vast ma- 
jority will welcome the suggestion as au opportunity. 

This statement resulted, almost immediately, in a distinct 
falling off of applications by tenants for relief. Moreover, 
although the powers given by the proclamation were limited 
to cases in which the rent payer was actually engaged in 
war work, the Committee, by friendly representations to 
landlords, and backed by the moral influence that the Com- 
mittee on Public Safety held in the community, was often 
able to settle differences between landlord and tenant and 
prevent further friction between them, although the par- 
ticular case in point might be outside the stated province 
of the Committee. 

The Committee, however, found great difficulty in deter- 
mining the proper basis of rental for any given locality. It 
realized that, notwithstanding the source from which its 
power emanated and the legal authorization given under 
the Defence Act, the measure in itself was so extreme as 
well as contrary to the traditional rights of landlord and 
tenant as established by common and statute law that in 
every case dealt with the utmost caution became necessary. 

On consultation with Mr. Charles F. Choate, Jr., of official 
counsel for the Committee on Public Safety, it was advised 
that while the power to declare and prosecute war had been 
delegated to Congress and the President of the United 
States, it would seem, inasmuch as war had been declared 
and the President was engaged in the exercise of all necessary 
powers in the direction of war, that the Commonwealth 
Defence Act was in full harmony with the action of Congress 
and the President, and that there was a residuum of war 
power retained by the Commonwealth of which the Defence 
Act was also a proper exercise; moreover, that the Com- 
mittee on Landlord and Tenant was justified in acting under 

2!25 



this assumption until such time as a court of competent 
jurisdiction should declare to the contrary. Likewise, a 
provision of the Defence Act provided that "\Mienever the 
governor shall believe it necessary or expedient for the 
purpose of better securing the public safety or the defence 
or welfare of the commonwealth, he may with the approval 
of the council take possession: («) Of any land or build- 
ings, . . ." and it was most certainly necessary for the 
public safety, defense and welfare of the Commonwealth 
that the work in the shipbuilding and munition plants 
should continue without interruption, and as a necessary 
incident to this work that the workmen should be properly 
housed. Again, where a landlord asked an exorbitant rent, 
he was in a way refusing the use of his proi)erty for a neces- 
sary public purpose, and under such circumstances the Gov- 
ernor had a right to exercise the power given him by section 
6 of the Defence Act. 

It was also determined that a practical method of exer- 
cising the power would be for the Committee to designate 
areas, reasonablj'^ adjacent to the shipyards and munition 
works where housing needs existed, sufficiently large to 
properly accommodate a fair proportion of the workmen 
employed; and, having fixed these areas, if in any instance 
it appeared that the workmen could not obtain housing 
therein at reasonal)le prices, then to exercise the power of 
eminent domain given by section 6. What the extent of 
this area should be would have to be determined by circum- 
stances, and it might conceivably follow that a first delimita- 
tion would have to be enlarged. Wherever a rental within 
the delimited area was made the subject of complaint, an 
investigation should be made in order to satisfy the Com- 
mittee whether the rent demanded amounted to a ])ractical 
refusal to lease, and was sufficient to justify the Committee's 
acting under the statute. The Committee carried on its 
work in general accordance with the above advice, though as 
a matter of fact it was found unnecessary to map out areas. 

When any one complained to the Committee of an un- 

226 



reasonable rent charged, or that eviction was threatened, 
the following questionnaire was given to be signed by both 
employer and complainant : — 

1. Name and address of person making complaint, or for whom complaint 

is made 

2. Name of company by whom employed 

3. Name and address of owner of premises 

4. Name and address of his agent or attorney 



5. Is complainant married? 

Number of children 

6. Present rent Rent asked. . . '. Estimated 

fair rent Previous rents of the same rooms 

7. Description of tenement 

Number of rooms Floor on which it is situated, back 

or front Other particulars 

I hereby certify that the foregoing statements are correct and true. 
And I hereby request your assistance in having the rent fixed at 
Date 

Complainant. 

Approval of Employer 
The above-named is an employee of 

ours, and we approve of the foregoing application made by him in regard 
to his rent. 



It is only fair to say that an analysis of the applications 
made by tenants shows that the landlords as a class did not 
attempt to avail themselves of their opportunity to get 
excessive increases of rents as a result of war emergencies. 
On the contrary, it would appear that the rents seldom 
rose in proportion to the landlords' increased expenses for 
labor, building materials, wages of janitors, interest on bank 
mortgages, cost of living, etc. In the many applications for 
relief that were received, — all of which were carefully con- 
sidered, — wherever in the opinion of the Committee the 
circumstances justified any interference the landlord was 
induced to waive or compromise his claim in almost every 

227 



instance. In no case was it found necessary to exercise the 
power of requisition authorized by the Governor's proclama- 
tion. In short, notwithstanding the unusual and drastic 
powers given to the Committee, the universally prevailing 
patriotism made their direct exercise unnecessary. 

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCIAL ECONOMY 

Walter C. Baylies, Chairman. 
W. L. Putnam, Vice-Chairman. 
Matthew Luce, Secretary. 



Henry B. Endieott.. 
B. Preston Clark. 
Levi H. Greenwood. 
Mrs. Herbert J. Gurney. 
J. Frank O'Hare. 
George H. Lyman. 



James J. Phelan. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
John F. Stevens. 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 
Charles F. Weed. 



The activities of this Committee were more especially 
directed to conservation and economy in retail deliveries 
throughout the State. 

It was brought to the attention of the Committee that 
paper was wasted to an extravagant degree by the unneces- 
sary wrapping of articles bought in stores. The conserva- 
tion of paper and twine would seem on its face of little 
material value in the interest of saving, but an examination 
into the subject showed conclusively that the price of these 
commodities having risen so enormously in value it was for 
the benefit not only of the merchant Init likewise of the 
public that great care should be taken to prevent further 
waste in either material. 

The cost to department and large specialty stores for each 
package delivered was figured to be from 8 to 25 per cent 
on the purchase price, according to the size of the bundle. 
The stores claimed that this large percentage was chiefly due 
to an unjustifiable demand on the part of the customers for 
wholly unnecessary service, besides their refusal to carry 
small bundles which would not inconvenience them in the 

228 



least. Moreover, inasmuch as many ^oods sold are likely 
to be returned, the merchants had to take the loss entailed 
by an unpaid-for wrapping and tying into consideration. 
In the last analysis this uncalled for expense naturally came 
out of the pocket of the consumer. It was estimated by the 
Commercial Economy Board of the Council of National 
Defense that the services of thousands of men engaged in 
the delivery of goods could be dispensed with and made 
available directly for war purposes, or indirectly for other 
lines of business; and inasmuch as the coming draft calls 
made it essential to conserve in every possible way the man 
power of the country, all unnecessary employment should be 
avoided, thereby reducing the cost of operation, and, as 
ancillary thereto, the price to consumers. 

Again, in order to save wasting paper and string by send- 
ing out parcels in superfluous wrappings, at the request of 
the Commercial Economy Board at Washington the Com- 
mittee on Public Safety, through its Committee on Com- 
mercial Economy, took this conservation also in hand, and 
Mr. Endicott called a meeting at headquarters in the State 
House of representatives of the leading department and 
specialty stores, and advised them on the following general 
lines : — 

1. That delivery service be restricted to not more than one trip a day 
over each route. 

2. That the privilege of returning merchandise be limited to three days, 
and that special deliveries be eliminated. 

3. That co-operative delivery systems should be introduced wherever 
practicable. 

In some communities special service was in part elimi- 
nated by making a charge for every such delivery; also the 
handling of needless C. O. D. orders, wherever it was serious 
enough to need correcting, was regulated by requiring a 
deposit. 

On the general proposition, those present at the meeting 
were in complete harmony in their willingness to comply 

229 



with the requests of the national government, and the 
assurance prevailed that a fair-minded public would meet 
the conditions imposed in a proper spirit. To this end a 
recommendation was issued to introduce a system of one 
delivery a day on certain routes, and on others of but one 
delivery a day to each customer. It was further recom- 
mended that the privilege of returning goods, either for 
exchange or credit, be limited to three days; that special 
deliveries be done away with; that co-operative delivery 
systems be introduced wherever practicable; and that all 
non-essential operations be curtailed or entirely dropped. 
These suggestions were given widespread publicity, the 
slogan being, "Carry a bundle and help release a man for 
war work," and were at once taken up and followed out bj'^ 
practically all the retail stores represented. An example of 
this was the assurance given of cordial co-operation by 
more than five hundred druggists from different sections of 
the State. 

The Committee at one time also worked out what appeared 
to be a very promising plan for salvaging iron, copper and 
various other materials which commonly went to the junk 
dealer, an idea that had already been carried through suc- 
cessfully in several large western States. However, owing 
chiefly to the fact that the Council of National Defense at 
Washington had, in the interest of retail merchants, been 
for several months preparing a scheme for reducing to a 
minimum every cost of operation, the Economy Committee 
held their salvage plan in abeyance while carrying out the 
general recommendations of the Washington Board. 

In the latter part of August, 1918, Mrs. Thayer and Mr. 
Endicott issued a joint letter to the press, in which they 
asked the people of Massachusetts to save all peach stones 
and dry them thoroughly, saying in part: — 

In most localities the larger stores and the Red Cross headquarters are 
being asked to attend to the collection and distribution of these stones. 

In Boston and vicinity they can be sent to almost any large department 
store, or to the Red Cross headquarters at 142 Berkeley Street, to their 

230 



cottage on the Common, or to any of tlieir branches throughout the city. 
They will be held by the stores and by the Red Cross subject to instructions 
as to shipping from tlie Gas Defense Division of the United States Army. 

Later an opportunity will be given to the people to help the government 
by saving other fruit stones, but it is thought best at this time to concen- 
trate the saving on peach stones. 

The material derived from 100 peach stones furnishes the necessary 
carbon for one gas mask. 

On July 2^2, in accordance with the recommendations of 
the War Industries Board appointed by the President, Mr. 
Endicott issued a letter to all grocers, provision dealers and 
their customers in regard to the saving of labor, gasoline, 
rubber, stock feed, etc., and urging them to arrange their 
business so as to eliminate unnecessary trips over any one 
route. Householders were also asked to place their orders, 
as far as possible, but once a day, and that on the day before 
the delivery was desired; and further, on account of the 
overburdening of deliveries prevailing on Fridays and 
Saturdays, they were requested to arrange so that non- 
perishable supplies should be delivered early in the week. 

In respect to every one of these restrictions and recom- 
mendations the people of Massachusetts showed a very 
willing spirit in seconding the efforts of the Commercial 
Economy Committee in the interest of conservation. 

COMMITTEE ON NON-WAR CONSTRUCTION 

A. C. Ratshesky, Chairman. 
Stuart W. Webb, Vice-C/iairman. 
Leonard W. Cronkhite, Secretary. 



Harold L. Bond. 
A. K. Cohen. 
Frederick H. Curtiss. 
Levi H. Greenwood. 
James H. Hustis. 
Everett W. Lord. 
James E. McLaughlin. 



J. Frank O'Hare. 
Joseph B. Russell. 
William D. Sohier. 
James J. Storrow. 
Commodore B. T. Walling. 
Fred A. Wilson. 
Colonel A. W. Yates. 



Demands for labor and material for war purposes became 
so pressing in the latter part of 1918 that the War Industries 



231 



Board at Washington requested all Councils of National 
Defense and Committees on Public Safety throughout the 
country to organize boards on non-war construction, for 
the purpose of curtailing such expenditures of labor and 
material in building operations as could properly be post- 
poned during the war period. Washington set the standard 
and the method of organization to be followed in the other 
States, the idea being to unite all interests in any way con- 
nected with building operations, including labor and ma- 
terial. Massachusetts was the first to form a Committee 
for this purpose, and its plan of organization was carried 
out in every city and town of the Commonwealth in accord- 
ance with the instructions of the War Industries Board. 

The Committee constantly sent information through news- 
papers and local boards of the State on rulings regarding 
such forms of construction as were deemed less essential to 
winning the war. 

Acting with the regional advisor, whose scope covered 
strictly war construction, and the Highway Commission, 
whose field embraced highway construction, the Committee 
codified and printed all rulings bearing on construction, and 
likewise published, in advance of Washington, forms of 
application for permits to build. These forms and summaries 
of rulings were given wide distribution within the State, 
and were also copied and used by neighboring States. Re- 
vised editions were printed as changes in rulings demanded. 

Meetings of the Committee, held at the State House, were 
particularly well attended by its members, already burdened 
with other war work. Applications approved by local 
boards of each city and town in the State were handled 
promptly and passed upon for transmission to Washington, 
with recommendations that permits be granted. 

The total number of applications considered by the Com- 
mittee between September 24, 1918, and November 22, 1918, 
when its work ended, was 235; approvals for ]7ermits, 182. 
It was estimated that $30,000,000 worth of building was 
deferred, in addition to the pennits refused, on account of 

232 



the restrictions placed by the State, the intent of the Com- 
mittee being to hold back everything of a non-essential 
building character until after the war. 

The decisions of the Committee were accepted by the 
public in a truly loyal and generous spirit, notwithstanding 
that in many cases a great hardship was imposed. Con- 
ferences with those interested were frequently held in order 
to convince the applicants of the great necessity of conserving 
labor and materials. The ability of the Board to get expert 
testimony from its own membership on the many types of 
application coming before it resulted in despatch, and con- 
stantly justified the wisdom of its composition and the 
co-ordination of so many representative elements within its 
membership. The Board and its chairman received recog- 
nition of this fact in communications from Washington. 

The expenses of the Board, clerical and printing, were 
borne by the Committee on Public Safety. 



233 



CHAPTER VIII 

INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC OF THE AUTUMN OF 1918. — 
EMERGENCY HEALTH COMMITTEE 

On September 25, 1918, Governor McCall appointed the 
following as members of this Committee : — 

Henry B. Endicott, Chairman. 
W. L. Putnam, Manager. 
Matthew Luce, Secretary. 



Dr. William A. Brooks. 
Miss B. W. Billings. 
B. Preston Clark. 
Dr. E. R. Kelley. 
George H. Lyman. 
Mrs. F. S. Mead. 
W. Rodman Peabodv. 



James J. Phelan. 

A. C. Ratshesky. 

Adj. -Gen. Jesse F. Stevens. 

John F. Stevens. 

Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 

Dr. William C. Woodward. 



Early in September, 1918, it was brought to the atten- 
tion of Dr. E. R. Kelley, State Health Commissioner of 
Massachusetts, that the influenza scourge had broken out 
in the State. The rapid increase of this disease, as is well 
known, was unprecedented. By about September 15 
Quincy, Revere and Boston were badly affected, and the 
situation also in Chelsea, Gloucester and Brockton very 
quickly became serious. From this time on the epidemic 
spread throughout the Commonwealth in every direction. 

The resources at the disposal of the regular State depart- 
ments being inadequate to deal with the emergency, the 
Governor's Council appropriated for the emergency $100,- 
000. This was afterwards increased to $500,000. 

Dr. Kelley, Dr. W. A. Brooks and Adjutant-General 
Stevens reported to the other members of the Committee 
what had already been done by the State, and explained 
the needs of the sitviation. 

234 



Dr. Brooks, who was employed by the United States 
Shipping Board to take charge of its numerous patients, 
had already, September 9, established an emergency tent 
or field hospital on Corey Hill . Here he brought the methods 
of treating the influenza epidemic and protecting the nurses 
and attendants to such a state of perfection that this hos- 
pital served as a model for all others thereafter established 
in the State-. 

Owing to the foresight of the Committee on Public Safety 
and the Governor's Council in providing equipment for the 
Commonwealth Military Emergency Hospital, the Adjutant- 
General was able without delay to furnish Dr. Brooks with 
all the additional equipment necessary for his emergency 
field hospital. 

The gravest feature of the situation was found to be a 
shortage of doctors, nurses and assistants. Dr. Kelley 
telegraphed to Surgeon-General Blue of the United States 
Public Health Service at Washington, asking for his aid in 
obtaining doctors. Dr. Kelley also appointed a nursing 
Committee, with Miss Billings of his department as chair- 
man, which endeavored to obtain as many nurses as possible. 

The first task confronting the Committee was to assist 
in securing and assigning doctors and nurses to meet the 
pathetic appeals for help pouring in from every section of 
the State. The next was to awaken the public to the gravity 
of the danger, and to do everything possible to prevent the 
spread of the disease. 

The various activities of the Committee will be discussed 
under the following heads: — 



Doctors. 

Nurses. 

Lay help for nurses. 

Emergency hospitals. 

Investigation of vaccines. 

Convalescents. 

Children. 

Burials. 

Emergency canteens. 



Supplies. 
Transportation . 
Report of Public Safety. 
Committees, hospitals, etc. 
Protection and quarantine. 
Location of work and personnel. 
Finance. 

Follow-up work and preparation 
for the future. 



235 



Doctors. — The American INIedical Association had lonc^ 
since reaHzed that, so many doctors having gone into the 
mihtary service, vigorous steps should be taken to provide 
pro])er medical attention for the civilian ])opidation in order 
to meet just such an emergency as now }>resented itself. 
Accordingly, a volunteer medical corps had been established 
which every physician in the country, not in the service, 
was invited to join, with the request that he fill out a blank 
stating what help he would be able to render, and ])ar- 
ticularly, whether he was willing to serve in another than 
his home comnumity. Nearly all the members of the pro- 
fession joined this corps. 

When Dr. Kelley appealed to Surgeon-General Blue for 
aid, the latter selected from the list of members of the 
volunteer medical corps certain physicians in those com- 
numities which were free from the plague, and wired them 
to report as soon as ])ossible to Dr. W. F. Draper, State 
House, Boston. He likewise asked them to be prepared to 
render any service which might be required of them in 
fighting the epidemic. 

In patriotic response to this appeal men came from as far 
west as lowci and as far south as North Carolina, dropping 
in many cases lucrative practices to serve at a small fee and 
to undergo the hardships of a country doctor, all in the 
service of the Commonwealth and its people. 

In the same way, with a splendid s])irit of self-sacrifice, 
Dr. Brooks suspended all other work, and at great personal 
loss and inconvenience devoted his entire time to the estab- 
lishment and supervision of the emergency hospitals. 

Likewise the medical officers connected with the State 
Guard gave their services cheerfully, working day and 
night, also to the great detriment of their personal affairs. 
In addition, many j^hysicians throughout Massachusetts, 
residing in comnumities which the epidemic had not yet 
reached, volunteered in the same patriotic spirit for service 
in afflicted sections. 

At first, doctors offering their services were assigned by 

236 



Dr. B. W. Carey of the State Department of Health to the 
places where they were most needed, but on Friday, Sep- 
tember 27, Dr. W. N. Bryan of the United States Medical 
Corps, attached to the Naval Department of the Northeast, 
was lent by that department to assist in fighting the epidemic, 
and the task of assigning doctors was given over to him. 
This work required careful and comparative study of the 
needs of each community, as well as of the qualifications of 
the different doctors offering their services. These physi- 
cians were put on the State pay roll at $10 a day and ex- 
penses, the latter not to exceed $4 a day. 

On Monday, September 30, Dr. Draper of the United 
States , Medical Service, was sent to Boston by Surgeon- 
General Blue with six assistants to take up the work on 
behalf of the United States. From this time, all doctors 
coming from outside the State were assigned by Dr. Draper 
and put on the United States pay roll. Each one of his 
assistants was delegated to a particular district to help the 
local authorities in organizing. Dr. Draper and Dr. Bryan 
co-operated most closely, working in entire hannony. After 
a week the latter was able to report that all requests which 
had come in for the services of doctors were filled. There- 
after the supply kept up with the demand. 

Dr. Bryan then made a tour of inspection of the eastern 
part of the State and visited various sections which had 
appealed for aid, in order to find out whether the needed 
help had been given, whether the fight was going on success- 
fully, and whether assistance was still necessary. 

During Dr. Bryan's absence, and after his return to the 
navy, his duties were ably carried on by Dr. J. W. Carroll 
of the same service. In all, 169 doctors were assigned, of 
whom 113 came from outside the State. Seventy-six fourth- 
year medical students were also assigned. 

Nurses. — As early as September 25 six nurses were sent 
out by Dr. Kelley to investigate the nursing situation, and 
to give assistance wherever the influenza epidemic was most 
severe. 

237 



On September 26 the Emergency Nursing Committee 
held an important meeting, at which a program for home 
nursing was adopted. 

Most urgent a])peals for nurses were issued through the 
press and tlirougli the Red Cross, which were responded to 
by nurses from Providence, HaUfax, Toronto, Ohio, Pennsyl- 
vania, Maine and elsewhere. 

The constant application to the Committee for nurses in 
behalf of patients who were in extreme suffering and danger 
for want of proper care was a heartrending feature of the 
situation. Miss Bernice Billings, detailed by the State 
Department of Health, attended to the enrollment, and an 
effort was made to assign nurses on the basis of 1 to 15 
patients. But even at this low scale, during a period of 
three weeks several hundred more nurses were needed than 
could be supplied. Miss Billings was assisted from the 
beginning by Miss Churchill of the State Department of 
Health, and after September 28 Miss Ross of the Red Cross 
was also on duty, relieving Miss Billings, who had tempo- 
rarily sacrificed her health by her unremitting and faithful 
work. For the first two or three days Miss Billings was at 
the telephone from 8 o'clock in the morning until 11 at 
night. The Department was open from early in the morn- 
ing until late at night, including Saturdays and Sundays, 
and from the time the epidemic became serious until it 
began to abate. 

Nurses chosen by Miss Billings to work in Boston were at 
first sent to the Instructive District Nursing Association to 
be assigned to duty, but later to the city health officer. 
Nurses assigned to other cities were instructed to report at 
once on their arrival to the local board of health or to the 
agencies it designated. All nurses were put on the State 
pay roll at the rate of $4 per day and expenses, and nurse's 
helpers at rates varying from $10 to $15 per week and ex- 
penses. The total niunber of the nursing force assigned 
was 1,003, of whom 344 were graduate nurses and 659 
untrained lay women. There were also a limited number of 

238 



attendants. Eight hundred and sixty nurses were put on 
the State pay roll, and 143 gave their services as volunteers. 

Lay Help to Nurses. — Dr. Bryan, foreseeing the great 
shortage of nurses, requested Mrs. Thayer and Mrs. Mead 
to secure the assistance of persons, whether trained or un- 
trained, willing to work among the sick. An appeal was 
also made through the public press and through the heads 
of organizations to send volunteer assistance. 

The services of the Catholic and other sisterhoods, and 
of the Federated Jewish Charities, were also generously 
placed at the disposal of the doctors, and His Eminence, 
Cardinal O'Connell, by special dispensation, authorized in 
certain exigencies the employment of cloistered nuns. The 
Household Nursing Association offered its trained assistants 
and supervisors, and also its undergraduate assistants, and 
most of the hospitals furnished undergraduate nurses. 

In response to a letter from Mr. Endicott, a number of 
the stores, such as E. T. Slattery & Co., Wm. Filene's Sons 
Company and Houghton & Dutton Company, volunteered 
the personnel of their First-aid Units, and through the 
courtesy of the Milo Thread Company a group of lay helpers 
came from Maine to help the sufferers in Massachusetts. 

A department for registration was established at head- 
quarters by the Volunteer Service Bureau of the American 
Red Cross and by the Special Aid Society for American 
Preparedness, in charge of Miss Priscilla Whiton. Nine 
hundred and seventy-one people were examined by this 
department, 659 volunteers being secured, who were then 
passed on to Miss Billings for appointment. All those de- 
siring to serve in the city were sent to the Boston District 
Nursing Association. 

The assistance of this group can only be fully appreciated 
when it is realized that they formed two-thirds of the total 
nursing service in the State. No effort was made to divert 
assistants from one city to another, it being argued that 
workers would be more useful in the localities where they 
lived. Any woman who felt herself in any respect capable 

239 



of assisting in the care of the sick was urged to offer her 
services to her local board of health. 

Miss Amy Woods, of the League of Preventive Work, was 
sent to organize a number of communities that they might 
provide their own lay help. Her methods proved so effective 
that the State Department of Health sent a statement of 
her plan of procedure throughout the Commonwealth and 
to the Department of Health in every State in the Union. 

Emergency Hospitals. — Reports gathered from many 
cities and towns showed a lack of hospital facilities, but Dr. 
Brooks's very successful experience with his emergency 
hospital on Corey Hill pointed the way to meet this 
need. 

The emergency hospitals so constituted were put in charge 
of the military authorities, as in no other way could discipline 
be promptly established and quarantine efficiently main- 
tained. The Surgeon-General and Quartermaster-General, 
in co-operation with the local authorities and the district 
health officers, chose the sites. The Adjutant-General pro- 
vided tents, field ranges, cooking utensils, and such equip- 
ment as the State was able to furnish, and called out appro- 
priate details of the State Guard. Other necessities were 
furnished by the Supply Department of the Emergency 
Health Committee. The Surgeon-General, with the co- 
operation of the district health officers and of the Enroll- 
ment Bureau of the Emergency Health Committee, secured 
the medical, nursing and service personnel. 

To accomplish these results promptly the assistance, au- 
thority and backing of the Committee on Public Safety were 
given in the fullest measure, and through its efforts in some 
instances shacks for emergency hospitals were erected in 
less than forty-eight hours, — between Saturday noon and 
IVIonday morning. In several cases segregated wards for 
influenza patients were established in existing hospitals, 
such assistance being given in twenty-six cities and towns 
throughout the State. About October 8 a letter giving full 
instructions for establishing temporary emergency hospitals 

240 



was issued by the Health Commissioner to the local boards 
of health. 

Investigation of Vaccines. — • In view of the favorable re- 
ports made by different physicians as to the results of using 
vaccine, Dr. Kelley appointed a Committee to investigate 
the subject. Dr. T. W. McCoy of the Hygienic Laboratory, 
United States Public Health Service, Dr. M. J. Rosenau, of 
Harvard University, director of the State Laboratory, and 
Maj. Frederick Gay of the United States Army composed 
the scientific members of the Committee, while Prof. G. C. 
Whipple of Harvard University, Mrs. William Davis of the 
United States Bureau of Census, and Mr. F. W. Crum of 
the Prudential Life Insurance Company were the statistical 
members. 

Without, however, awaiting the report of this Committee, 
Dr. Kelley purchased for Dr. Leary material on which to 
grow the vaccine, loaned assistants from the State Labora- 
tory, and detailed for the work Dr. Hiriton in charge of the 
State Wassermann Laboratory. He also requested Dr. 
Bryan and Dr. Hinton to co-operate with Dr. Leary in the 
distribution of the vaccine. Dr. Kelley also prepared a 
letter, addressed to every city and town board of health in 
Massachusetts, stating that the State stood ready to furnish 
vaccine. All bottles of vaccine had printed instructions 
wrapped around them, a franked postal card for every one 
immunized was issued by the Board of Health, and the 
local board was at the same time requested to see that the 
person vaccinated filled out and returned the card to the 
United States Public Health Service office at the State 
House within two weeks after the receipt of the last dose of 
vaccine. Thus a positive demonstration was made as to 
the value of the procedure. 

The report of the Committee of Experts, showing the 
results obtained by using the vaccines, was so favorable that 
the work of making and distributing the same was continued 
at the expense of the State so long as the need lasted. 

Convalescents. — Very soon after the organization of the 

241 



Committee, His Eminence Cardinal O'Connell offered the 
large and spacions buildings of St. John's Ecclesiastical 
Seminary, situated on hills overlooking the Chestnut Hill 
Reservoir and surrounded by beautiful grounds, for any 
use to which they might be adapted. This timely offer was 
at once taken up by the Committee, the seminary being 
peculiarly well suited to receive and take care of convalescent 
patients from Boston and the neighboring towns. This 
relieved the congestion at the hospitals, and thereby the 
wearing strain on tlie nurses. Dr. William H. Devine under- 
took the task of superintendent, and also of securing doctors, 
attendants and service. This opportunity was utilized from 
October 6 to October 26, and was productive of splendid 
results. Important clinical observations, and full details as 
to patients and personnel, were given in a report made by 
Dr. Devine. Ninety-two patients, ranging from ten to 
sixty years of age, were admitted to the seminary, — the 
average stay being about seven days, — and were sent by 
the following institutions : — 



Boston City Hospital, . 

Massachusetts General Hospital, 

Arlington Emergency Hospital, 

Homoeopathic Hospital, 

Carney Hospital, . 

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, 

Beth Israel Hospital, . 

Jewish Home, 

Merrill School, Cambridge, 

Brookline Hospital, 

Town of Norwood, 

Cambridge Emergency Hospital, 

Other sources, .... 



9 

30 

2 

2 
1 
7 
1 
1 

15 
1 
1 
5 

17 



An offer was also made by the Episcopal City Mission of 
the Mothers' Rest at Revere as a convalescent home for 
women and children. This retreat, commonly closed at 
that time of year, was immediately opened and put in charge 
of Dr. Jane D. K. Sabine, with Dr. Edith H. Swift and 
Dr. Cordelia I. Williamson as assistants. Mrs. Georgina 



242 



Withington offered her services to take care of the house- 
hold and the well-bemg of its inmates. Sixty -five patients 
were cared for, and the work carried on for one month with 
the greatest success. Miss Mary P. Winsor took full charge 
of the business administration of this home, purchasing 
supplies, transporting patients in her own car, auditing all 
the expenses, and working day and night in its interest. 

Children. — The influenza brought about a great deal of 
suffering among children, both from the disease itself, and 
also, in many instances, through the death of their parents 
or others responsible for their care. 

As a rule, these otherwise helpless cases were taken care 
of locally; but in Boston the pressure was so great that the 
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the 
Children's Aid Society and the Church Home united in 
organizing a home for the care of children who had been 
exposed to but were not taken down with influenza. The 
Emmanuel House, 11 Newcomb Street, Roxbury, was lent 
by Emmanuel Church for this purpose. Miss K. P. Hewins 
of the Church Home Society, under the supervision of a 
committee representing all the societies above mentioned, 
took charge of the house. These societies paid all the ex- 
penses of the enterprise excepting a certain amount of 
household utensils, beds and other appliances, which were 
furnished by the Emergency Health Committee. Accommo- 
dations were sufficient to take care of about thirty-five 
children at one time, and the home met one of the great 
needs of the situation. 

The Catholic Charitable Bureau also opened a shelter 
at Orient Heights, with accommodations for about forty 
children. 

Burials. — The number of deaths was so large in the 
vicinity of Boston and at the camps that a serious difficulty 
presented itself in obtaining coffins. To meet so imperative 
a necessity the Committee on Public Safety, that the output 
might be increased, induced a large cabinet maker to lend 
fifteen of his employees to the New England Casket Com- 

243 



pany. Dr. Woodward, moreover, rei^orted that the city of 
Boston was under obhgation to furnish hiborers to certain 
cemeteries so that interments could take place promptly. 

Emergency Canteens. — Good, wholesome food, hot, appe- 
tizing and served frequently, was early shown to be one of 
the most important requisites of treatment. 

Accordingly, on Sunday, September 29, the plan of the 
Emergency Canteen was initiated in co-operation with the 
District Nursing Association and the Boston City Food 
Conservation Committee. The scheme was twofold: (a) to 
supply food, under the direction of the nurses and doctors, 
to the patient and to the healthy members of his family 
where the latter were unable to cope with the situation; 
(6) to feed the nurses and doctors. 

Originally, the Massachusetts Committee on Pul)lic Safety 
agreed to pay all expenses, but the Boston Committee on 
Public Safety assisted by taking over all canteens operating 
inside the city limits. Three canteens were in operation on 
Monday, September 30, and fifteen by Thursday, October 3. 
Many existing kitchens were taken, including those in 
churches, high schools, cooking schools and settlement 
houses, the last two mentioned ])roviding effective and com- 
plete centers for food distribution. Through the generosity 
of the many Food Conservation organizations and of volun- 
teer helpers, dietitians were obtained who did the cooking. 
In most of the districts the City Food Conservation Com- 
mittee was called upon to provide untrained volunteers who 
could help in the preparation of food and its distribution. 
This last was effected by volunteer motor service. In the 
districts where such motors could not be obtained, the Red 
Cross and the State Guard were called upon to help. Con- 
tributions of glass, tin containers and also vegetables were 
asked for. By this method, and because of the extraordinary 
and ready response to all calls for help, the only liabilities 
incurred were for fuel, carton containers and the actual 
food purchased. 

Attention might here be directed to how great a degree 

244 



the influenza emergency demonstrated the value of decentral- 
ization to promote efficiency; and that each center should, 
if possible, be a complete entity in itself, relying upon a 
Central Committee for help only where its own organiza- 
tion broke down. 

This general plan for canteen work was advertised through 
the State on Monday, September 30, by telegrams and 
letters asking the Women's Council of National Defense, 
local officials and Committees on Public Safety to start the 
canteens wherever the necessity arose, after consulting with 
the local boards of health and other existing activities which 
might aid in such work. 

Supplies. — Supplies were bought and furnished, partly 
by the Emergency Health Committee, and partly through 
the Adjutant-General's office. 

The Committee purchased and distributed in considerable 
quantities masks, paper napkins, paper bags, paper plates, 
spoons, veils, aprons and such other appliances as were 
recommended by the doctors, — • all tending to prevent the 
spread of the disease from the patient to the nurses, or to 
other people in the State. Printed instructions for the use 
of these articles were distributed with them, as well as 
circulars giving information as to the detection and treat- 
ment of the disease and how to avoid it. Many valuable 
suggestions were made to the numerous applicants for 
advice by attendants who had been carefully coached by 
the trained nurses. 

The Committee also purchased and distributed to hospitals 
and local Committees on Public Safety, or boards of health, 
supplies — such as bedding, blankets, sheets, etc. — needed 
to outfit the emergency hospitals or emergency wards. It 
also furnished to the boards of health a certain amount of 
similar articles when needed for the proper care of patients 
in their own homes; but this latter distribution was very 
carefully restricted, as it was felt that such cases, as a rule, 
should be taken care of through the regularly established 
charitable agencies. 

245 



INIr. IVIatthew Luce and Miss E. G. Dewey attended to 
the purchasing of supplies, and were assisted by Mr. E. G. 
Preston and Mr. J. A. Malone. Mr. Luce also superintended 
the distribution, whether made directly from the stores or 
from the State House. A careful record was kept of all 
supplies given out, either in quantity or small lots. 

Paper stock furnishings were given free to 1,363 persons, 
who came or sent for them, in large or small quantities, as 
follows : — 



Plates, . 

Spoons, 

Cups, 

Napkins, 

Bags, 

Paper towels with rollers (eases). 

Aprons, 

Quart containers, 

Pneumonia jackets 



135,000 

100,000 

120,000 

100,000 

50,000 

7 

1,000 

1,900 

400 



In addition, many thousand masks were provided. 

As illustrating the educational work accomplished outside 
the Commonwealth, samples of paper supplies and masks 
were forwarded to many parts of the country, — to Washing- 
ton, D. C, Alabama, Minnesota, California, New Hamp- 
shire, Maine and South Dakota. 

Through the untiring efforts of Mr. Malone and Mr. 
Preston, the purchasing agents, the Committee was able to 
provide everything needed for a hospital of seventy-five or 
one hundred beds in less than twenty-four hours. 

For the Emergency Hospital at Taunton the following 
supplies were obtained : — 



Beds, 
Springs, . 
Mattresses, 
Pillows, . 
Pillowcases, 
Paper plates, 
Paper cups, 



100 
100 
100 
105 
260 
(5,000 
(5,000 



246 



Paper spoons, 

Sheets, 

Double blankets, 

Towels, . 

Bedpans, 

Urinals, . 

Paper napkins. 

Paper bags, . 

Paper towels and the rollers, 

Masks, 



6,000 

550 

120 

250 

32 

6 

10,000 

1,000 

500 

1,000 



For emergency hospitals, regular hospitals or for home 
distribution in Amesbury, Arlington, Auburndale, Boston, 
Bridgewater, Brighton, Brockton, Cambridge, Dorchester, 
Fairhaven-, Fall River, Gloucester, Haverhill, Hudson, 
Ipswich, Lawrence, Lowell, Mansfield, Nantucket, Peabody, 
Plymouth, Revere, Salem, Somerville, Springfield, Stough- 
ton, Taunton, Tyngsborough, Waltham, Whitman, Win- 
throp and Woburn the following articles were supplied : — 



Beds, 

Cribs, 

Springs, 

Mattresses, 

Pillows, 

Pillowcases, 

Sheets, 

Blankets (wool), 

Blankets (paper). 

Night robes. 

Doctors' coats, 

Rubber coats, . 

Rubber hats, . 

Rubber boots (pairs), 

Alcohol (gallons). 

Bedpans, . 

Enamel washbasins, 

Enamel pans. 

Pus basins. 

Towels, 

Rubber sheeting (rolls; 12 yards in one roll), 



335 

22 

245 

287 

411 

3,020 

4,408 

2,560 

120 

854 

12 

12 

12 

12 

30 

181 

42 

30 

45 

2,512 

23 



247 



Mosquito netting (pieces), 

Needles (papers), . 

Notebooks, 

Playing cards (packs), . 

Checkerboards, 

Combs, .... 

Common pins (papers), 

Thread (spools), 

Tootlibru.slies, 

Bed slippers (pairs). 

Chloride of lime (can), . 

Crockerj^ pitchers, . 

Envelopes, 

Face cloths, 

Iodine Lime Tablets (bottle) 

Padding (yards). 

Temperature charts. 

Temperature charts, holders and the 

Clinical thermometers, . 

Wooden tongue depressors furnished 

Treatment charts, . 

Urinals, .... 

Flannelette (yards), 

Hot-water bags. 

Hypodermics with needles. 

Ice caps, .... 



paper utensils and masks 
from the supply room, 



5 

8 
12 

2 

2 

72 

12 

18 

48 

12 

1 

8 

250 

120 

1 

12 

1,150 

74 

53 

1,000 

200 

56 

100 

57 

25 

45 



Dr. Brooks, in behalf of the United States Shipping Board, 
called upon the Adjutant-General's office to authorize and 
assist in establishing the emergency field hospital on Corey 
Hill, Brookline, for those of the enlisted personnel of the 
United States Shipping Board who were stricken with the 
epidemic. Similar hospitals were established in Gloucester, 
Ipswich, Lawrence, Brockton, Waltham and Haverhill; and 
supplies such as cots, blankets, etc., were furnished both to 
them and to the local boards of health at Fall River, Fair- 
haven, Arlington, Fitchburg, Fayville, Barre, Springfield 
and other places. 

The supplies on hand at the State Arsenal not being ade- 
ciuate for the emergency, 1,034 cots, 3,696 blankets, 28 
pyramidal tents and 170 wall tents were procured through 



248 



the Chief Quartennaster's Department out of the funds of 
the Emergency Health Committee. The Adjutant-General's 
Department was able to secure the use of over 400 tents, 
and of many cots, from various organizations, including the 
Northfield Summer Conferences, the Y. M. C. A. in various 
towns, the Agricultural College, county fairs, high school 
boys' agricultural camps, in charge of Mr. Dow, and also 
from many individual and other sources. 

Transportation. — The Transportation Department was 
under the management of Mrs. Livingston Cushing, assisted 
by Miss Mary T. Sawyer, Mr. A. K. Sweet, Mr. F. A. 
Turner, and Mr. R. A. Powers. It arranged for meeting 
nurses on their arrival in Boston; furnished information as 
to the departure of trains; provided motor service to take 
doctors and nurses to the station, and, when necessary, 
directly to the towns to which they were assigned. It also 
notified ofiicials of the local Committee on Public Safety, or 
of the board of health, to meet them on arrival. It delivered 
supplies from the Supply Department, and planned for 
ambulance service on request. As the uniform worn by its 
agents made them easily distinguishable, arrangements were 
made with the Canteen Department of the Red Cross to 
meet nurses coming from a distance. This work necessitated 
much detail in locating trains, but was done with remarkable 
despatch and success. 

When headquarters were first opened at the State House, 
the Committee was almost wholly dependent on the assist- 
ance of the First Motor Corps of the State Guard. This 
body rendered efficient and most willing service, the Com- 
mittee always having the privilege of calling upon its mem- 
bers. As the corps had many calls to which it must give 
first attention, especially the very important work of the 
Instructive District Nursing Association, a volunteer service 
of private cars was enlisted. This was secured in great part 
by personal appeal, and the co-operation and interest of 
those who volunteered proved invaluable. Two hundred 
and sixty-three calls for motor service were answered within 

249 



the first ten days. Tlie greatest miinber of ealls filled in 
any one day was 40; the lowest, 11. 

The First IVlotor Corps furnished automobiles, with 
chauffeurs, to trans]iort doctors and niu'ses from patient to 
patient in the city of Boston, and in achlition turned over 
its complete ambulance outfit to the Medical l)ei)artuient of 
the State Guard. Its four auto trucks were also in constant 
use transporting su])])lies mider the (hrection of the Chief 
Quartermaster. Tlie tweuty-six ambulances, belonging to 
the First Ambulance Corps and the Commonwealth Military 
Emergency Hos])ital, were always in use. Two of these 
were loaned to the Northeastern De])artment; two to the 
First Naval District; two to the Fore River Shipbuilding 
Company; two to the city of New Bedford. The remainder 
were em])lo\'ed in the city proper and at the different emer- 
gency field hos])itals. 

Reports of Public Safety Committees, Hospitals, etc. — 
Inasmuch as the influenza was not at the time it broke out 
a disease which the doctors were required by law to re]>ort, 
the figures sent in by the local boards of health were at 
first incomplete. 

Accordingly, telegrams were sent to the chairman of each 
local Committee on Public Safety throughout the State, 
requesting infonnation as to the number of cases of influenza 
and the number of available doctors and nurses in his par- 
ticidar town or city, with a further request that a detailed 
report ol' its most ])ressing needs l)e also forwarded. More- 
over, in order that the course of the epidemic might be 
])ro])erly watched, the recipients of the messages were in- 
structed to immediately wire in reply. Mrs. Thayer, in 
behalf of the Woman's Conmiittee of the Council of National 
Defense, sent similar telegrams to each of her chainnen. 
In addition, and to check u]> these figures, telegrams were 
sent to tlie ])residents of the District Nursing Association in 
fifty cities and towns, requesting the same information 
asked of the sub-committees on Public Safety. 

The messages received in res])onse were han<lle<l by Mr. 



W. R. Peabody and his assistants. Miss Esther Nicker- 
son and Miss M. S. Conrad, who iniinediatoly turned over 
the reports and requests to Dr. Bryan and Miss BilHngs, 
whereby tlie latter were enabled to allot doctors and nurses 
to Dr. Carey, and also to watch more imderstandingly the 
prevalence and s])rea<l of tlw disease. 

On September 30 a circular letter was mailed to every 
chairman of a local Conrinittee on Public Safety, askinjnf his 
co-operation in tlie rece])tion and care of visiting doctors 
and nurses. Still further, telegrams were sent to many of 
the hospitals throughout the State asking for the number of 
beds they were able to furnish, and what assistance, if any, 
they needed. 

The answers to all the telegrams sent by the Committee 
were received and tabulated, and proved of great value in 
many ways. 

Protection and Quarantine. — Several details from the 
State Guard were furnished by the Adjutant-General to pro- 
tect emergency hospitals, and also for service at New Bed- 
ford, Cambridge, Maiden, Norwood and Southborough, in 
which places the local authorities supplied their own hos- 
pital facilities. These guards were indispensable in main- 
taining the requisite quarantine necessary to prevent the 
s])read of tlie disease. In addition, a guard was provided in 
Boston for the contractor who was building the Emergency 
Hospital buildings. 

ClosiiKj of Theatres', etc. — - At a meeting of the ('ommittee 
on September 30 it was voted to recommend the closing of 
theatres, moving-picture shows and soda water fountains, 
and, in general, that all gatherings which might in any way 
assist in s])reading the disease be discontinued. 

Wide publicity was given to these recommendations, and 
in consequence the Liberty Loan Committee at once gave up 
all rallies which it had planned throughout the State. Fol- 
lowing this exami)le, almost every meeting contemplated by 
societies or organizations of any kind was immediately and 
voluntarily abandoned. Many churches discontinued hold- 

251 



ing divine service. In most cities and towns, all schools, 
theatres and moving-picture shows were closed, as were soda 
water fountains and public bars. 

This wides])read and rigorous action greatly mitigated the 
force of the disease, delayed its progress, and helped to 
bring it under control. 

On September 26 Mr. Endicott made public the following 
statement : — 

I have been asked to explain more conipreliensively than was possible 
in the brief notice already published in the i)apers, tlie attitude of the 
Public Safety Committee in regard to holding public meetings during the 
influenza epidemic. 

It is the general opinion of the physicians that influenza germs are 
transmitted directly, not only by the sick but by those who are infected 
although not yet ill, to persons in close proximity to them; therefore the 
danger of infection is always present when people are gathered togellier. 
Accordingly, no unnecessary gatherings shoidd be held at present in 
Massachusetts. 

Unnecessary gatherings include schools, theatres, moving-picture shows, 
churches, wherever possible, and all outdoor meetings and })arades. Un- 
necessary meeting places, therefore, should be closed at once and remain 
closed until the authorities tell us the danger is over. The observance of 
ordinary health precautions is part of the <luty owed by every citizen, not 
only to himself but to his neighbt^rs, and no one should feel at this time 
that he is a moral coward because he takes care of himself, if he realizes 
that his own health may mean the life or health of those with whom he 
comes in contact. 

One of the things we should all strive to do during this epidemic is to 
get into the sunshine as nuich as possible, and, abovi' all, we should get 
plenty of fresh air. In other words, it is our duty to keep well or to get 
well as soon as possible, in order that our part in the war may not be 
interrupted. 

There are inidoul)tedly towns and cities in the Conuiionwealth from 
which the influenza hUs not been reported, but of course we nnist tace the 
fact that the chances are very much in tavor of the spread of the disease. 
I urge such communities to assimie their part of the common responsibility, 
and to act as if they were already in the midst of this epidemic. 

The doctors and nurses of Massachusetts who arc devoting themselves 
to the care of the sick in this emergency are all heroes and hert)ines, and 
many of them have paid the penalty. Not one of them, as far as I am 
aware, has shirked in any way; they have overworked; they are without 

252 



sleep — yet still they go on. Massachusetts can never repay its debt to 
this noble band of men and women. We are using every effort, both 
through tlie government and outside the State, to get additional help for 
these people. In this connection the Red Cross is doing splendid work 
and using every effort to increase the number of nurses within our borders. 

\Mien I speak of carrying on the war, the action of the Liberty Loan 
Committee points out to us all the way our duty lies. The Liberty Loan 
Committee realizes the seriousness of the situation; they had laid out 
their entire plans for the coming campaign for months, and all these plans 
they have changed to save the people of Massachusetts, believing that by 
so doing they are contributing to the success of the war. They have sac- 
rificed more in making this change than any other organization, public or 
private, possibly can. 

The cancellation of all Liberty Loan meetings places upon the people 
of Massachusetts a responsibility for individual effort greater than that 
which the citizens of any other State are called upon to bear. It is com- 
parati\ely easy to subscribe generously when the emotions are stirred by 
the appeal of a soldier fresh from overseas, or by the thrill of patriotic 
music, or by the sight of a neighbor's response. Massachusetts will have 
the benefit of none of these rallying forces to arouse the generosity of her 
subscribers. The very absence of parades and oratory, however, makes 
the duty of each man and woman clearer than ever before. Subscriptions 
which have heretofore been made in the excitement of public gatherings 
must be offset by the appeal to each man's own conscience. It will never 
be said of Massachusetts that she was so immersed in her own private 
troubles that she for one moment failed to heed the Nation's call to prac- 
tical service. Massachusetts must and will do her part. 

Dr. William C. Woodward, commissioner of the Health 
Department, city of Boston, in a very interesting and able 
report, says : — 

Whether or not it may be more than a succession of coincidences, it is 
certainly of interest to note that the November outbreak of the influenza 
showed itself three days after the Peace Day celebration on November 
1^2, when the streets, eating places and public conveyances were jammed 
with crowds; and that the December epidemic began to manifest itself 
after the Thanksgiving Holiday, with its family reunions and visiting; 
and that reported cases mounted rapidly during the periods of Christmas 
shopping, reaching a maximum a week after the holiday. 

The secondary epidemic of influenza thus occurring in Boston in De- 
cember found the city in a far different position to cope with the disease 



253 



than at the time of its appearance in September, and there was virtually 
no difficulty in supplying prompt and appropriate medical care and nurs- 
ing in individual cases. 

Location and Personnel. — Owing to the prevalence of the 
epidemic, it was ahnost impossible to secure professional 
office help. Mr, Bazeley, assistant executive manager of 
the Committee on Public Safety, was able to detail four 
stenographers from his staft', but no office boys or other 
assistants were available. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 
however, loyally offered their services as messengers. 

"While the most important work was carried on in the 
offices of the different State departments and those of the 
Committee on Public Safety, Room 363 at the State House 
served as headquarters for eleven of the Committee's six- 
teen departments. It would have been difficult for so many 
groups to work together, in so confined a space, had they 
not been animated by the common desire to procure doctors 
and nurses for the sorely beset people of the Commonwealth, 
irrespective of any personal discomfort to themselves. 

The personnel of the Bureau was in the hands of Mrs. 
Mead. The staff consisted of about seventy-six people, all 
volunteers, with the exception of a few secretaries from the 
State departments and the Committee on Public Safety, 
and three other secretaries. As the hours were long (from 
8 A.M. to 9 or 10 P.M., including Sundays), the service was 
arranged in shifts. Owing to the closing orders referred to, 
Mrs. Mead had the advantage of much professional help, 
though the Bureau was to a large extent manned by mem- 
bers of the National Civic Federation and the Boston 
Teachers' Unit. In addition to this, Mrs. Thaj^er, Mr. 
Endicott, Dr. Kelley, Dr. Brooks, Adjutant-General Stevens 
and many persons from their staffs gave practically their 
whole time to the cause. 

Finance. — Mr. Edmund W. Longley, with his customary 
watchfulness and ability, acted as treasurer of the Com- 
mittee. The total expenditures will be found in Mr. Long- 
ley's general report. 

254 



Folloiv-up Work and Preparation for Future Epidemic. — 
An advisory council was appointed to carry out a plan for 
future medical and social service, whose efforts will be given 
in detail under "Women's Activities," Part IV, chapter 5, 

It nuist be remembered that the activities of the Emer- 
gency Health Committee, in its relation to the influenza 
epidemic, covered only the first visitation of that disease 
and the six weeks following the 2oth of September, the date 
of its appointment. The second outbreak, early in Decem- 
ber, 1918, did not take place until the Committee on Public 
Safety had disbanded. 

During the former period the number of deaths due to 
the epidemic, in Massachusetts alone, was approximately 
11,000. This is exclusive of about one week in the latter 
part of September, of which no complete record exists, as it 
was not until the 4th of October that the disease was made 
reportable by law. 

The far-reaching assistance rendered by the Emergency 
Health Committee to the Commonwealth during this period 
of prevailing distress, when a veritable plague vitally im- 
perilled and sapped the strength of our people, thereby 
directly menacing the efficiency of our armies at home and 
abroad, was one of the most important of those unforeseen 
activities constantly springing up, and which proved the 
wisdom of Governor McCall's creation of a Committee on 
Public Safety. 



255 



Part IV 



WOMEN'S ACTIVITIES 

Thus far this story has dealt ahnost exchisively with the 
activities of Massachusetts men. 

It is now time to introduce another and equally important 
half of the home army, and to turn our attention to the un- 
selfish and sturdy Americanism displayed by the women of 
our Commonwealth. With untiring zeal and patient help- 
fulness they rallied to the Nation's call, a mighty influence 
in supporting the crusaders battling in foreign lands, and 
rendered a service never to be forgotten in the annals of 
the State. 

Soon after our entry into the war, from one end of the 
Commonwealth to the other the women, as previously 
stated, eager to help and restless in their activity, started 
new organizations or reconstructed existing ones, anticipating 
every want and challenging every emergency. Yet these 
associations as a whole were neither correlated nor in any 
respect centralized, but represented an immense amount of 
cumulative but duplicated energy, much of which was neces- 
sarily wasted, and which in the existing emergency all felt 
should be amalgamated into a single well-organized body. 
No one understood this state of things better than the 
officers and influential leaders of these multiple organiza- 
tions. With a view to the betterment of these conditions 
the Preparatory Committee on Co-ordination of Aid Societies 
was appointed, the successful outcome of whose efforts 
under Mr. B. Preston Clark's direction may be found in 
the discussion of that Committee in Part I. 

In May, 1917, Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer of Boston was 
chosen temporary chairman of the Massachusetts Division 

256 



of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National 
Defense, an appointment which later, in response to a 
unanimous desire, was made permanent. On the invitation 
of the Committee on Public Safety, the Woman's Committee 
became part of its organization, and occupied adjoining 
offices in the State House, its work being entirely financed 
by the Committee on Public Safety during the continuance 
of the war. 

From that time on, as the Massachusetts woman repre- 
sentative of the Council of National Defense, and still later 
as Home Economics director by appointment of Mr. Hoover 
at Mr. Endicott's request, Mrs. Thayer, loyally and ably 
assisted by Mrs. Herbert J. Gurney as vice-chairman, and 
by a very efficient committee, administered practically all 
the more important women's war functions throughout the 
Commonwealth, — a position at once unique and exacting. 
It is unnecessary to enlarge on the success of Mrs. Thayer's 
efforts. Her work has become part of the history of Massa- 
chusetts. It was a noble and memorable achievement 
which won for her and her associates the admiration and 
respectful affection of the entire Commonwealth. 



257 



CHAPTER I 

MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION, WOMAN'S COUNCIL OF 
NATIONAL DEFENSE 

Mrs. Natlianiel Thayer, Chairman. 

Mrs. Herbert J. Gurney, Presklent of the Massachusetts Federation of 

Women's Ckibs, Vice-Chair man. 
]\Irs. Wilham W. TaflF, Treasurer. 
Mrs. Samuel W. McCall, Honorary Chairman. 
Mrs. Andrew J. Peters, Honorary Chairman. 
Mrs. Frank D. Elhson, Massaclmsetts State Regent of the Daughters of 

the American Revolution. 
Mrs. W. M. Cunniff, representing the League of Catholic Women. 
Mrs. A. C. Ratshesky. 
Miss Anna Bowen, representing labor. 

On June 15, 1917, a large meeting was held in the State 
House, to which every woman's organization in the Com- 
monwealth had been requested to send a representative 
with voting power. Two hundred were present, Mrs. Thayer 
was made permanent chairman, and the Committee, as above 
given, appointed. 

The Council of National Defense, a body authorized by 
act of Congress in August, 1916, consisted of the Secretary 
of War, of the Navy, of the Interior, of Agriculture, of 
Commerce and of Labor. The Council was given the power 
to organize subordinate bodies and committees. 

The Woman's • Committee of the Council of National 
Defense was formed on April 21, 1917. The purpose "of 
this Committee was to co-ordinate the activities and the 
resources of the organized and unorganized women of the 
country, that their power might be immediately utilized in 
time of need, and also to supply a new and direct chan- 
nel of communication and co-operation between women 
and governmental departments. The Committee was re- 
quested to organize State divisions, which in turn shoidd 

258 



form local units of all women's associations and societies 
without regard to creed, purpose or race. Women not 
belonging to any organized societies were likewise eligible 
to membership. The Woman's Council of National Defense 
was composed of nine members from different States, Mrs. 
Stanley McConnick of Boston representing Massachusetts. 
In the Massachusetts division the following departments 
of work were organized, as suggested by the Woman's Com- 
mittee in Washington: — ■ 

Registration. 

Food Production and Conservation. 

Miss Sarah Louise Arnold, Chairman, later succeeded by Mrs. Mal- 
colm Donald. 
Women in Industry. 

Mrs. William A. Troy/ Chairman. 

Mrs. George T. Rice,i V ice-Chairman. 
Child Welfare. 

Miss Mary T. Beard, Chairman. 

Miss Gertrude Peabody, Vice-Chairman. 
Maintenance of Social Conditions. 

Mrs. Frederick S. Mead, Chairman. 
Education. 

Mrs. Sumner B. Pearmain, Chairman. 
Liberty Loan. 

Mrs. Barrett Wendell, Chairman. 
Red Cross and Allied Relief. 

Mrs. William H. Lothrop, Chairman. 
Health and Recreation. 

Mrs. John A. Johnston, Chairman. 

Mrs. Robert W. Lovett, Executive Chairman. 

The purpose of each of these departments was carried 
out, with the exception of Registration, which was found to 
be unnecessary owing to the large number of registration 
facilities already available for women, through several 
organizations. The two departments of Food Production 
and Conservation were conducted as one. In June, 1918, 
the department of Liberty Loan was separated from the 
Committee in Washington. 

1 Both appointed by the American Federation of Labor. 

259 



Local chainnen were appointed (see Appendix, page 557) 
in eacli of the 356 cities and towns in the State, with the 
exception of a very few towns so small and with such 
scattered population that united work was impossible. In 
some of the larger towns several chairmen were appointed 
for different sections, making the total number of chairmen 
larger than the number of towns and cities. Much of the 
work was done by the following county field secretaries, who 
gave invaluable assistance by personally visiting and interest- 
ing large numbers of women : — 

Mrs. R. M. Harper, Barnstable County. 

Mrs. Carlos de Heredia, Berkshire County. 

Mrs. Louis A. Frothingham, Bristol County. 

Mrs. Charles P. Greenough, Dukes County. 

Mrs. Richard S. Russell, Essex County. 

Mrs. Richards M. Bradley, Frankhn County. 

Mrs. William E. Towne, Hampden County. 

Miss Helen A. Harriman, Hampshire County. 

Mrs. WiUiam F. Wharton, Middlesex County. 

Mrs. William S. Patten and Mrs. Richard W. Hale, Norfolk County. 

Mrs. Wirt Dexter, Plymouth County. 

IMiss Ruth Thayer, Worcester County. 

A series of monthly conferences was held, beginning June, 
1917, and continuing without interruption, except during 
the influenza epidemic, until several months after the 
armistice was signed. 

These meetings were largely attended by women from all 
over the State, and were always in the nature of a general 
discussion, where questions might be freely asked and reports 
submitted by the chairmen of the respective departments. 
Many special and interesting speakers were heard at these 
gathermgs, usually including several from the more impor- 
tant of the men's departments of the Committee on Public 
Safety. 

On comparing notes at the several conferences held in 
Washington during the eighteen months of its work, the 
Woman's Committee was satisfied that Massachusetts en- 



2(50 



joyed remarkable privileges and opportunities from the 
co-operation, advice, ready sympathy, and financial support 
given at all times by the Committee on Public Safety. 

The co-operation and loyalty of the large, as well as of 
the smaller, existing women's organizations were very 
encouraging. The Federation of Women's Clubs, under Mrs. 
Gurney; the Catholic Women's War Work Council, under 
Miss Mary A. Barr; the National Civic Federation, under 
Mrs. Frederick. S. Mead; the Women's Municipal League, 
under Mrs. William Morton Wheeler; the Special Aid 
Society, under Mrs. Barrett Wendell; the Jewish Women's 
Organizations; the Red Cross; the Collegiate Alumnae, 
under Mrs. Sumner B. Pearmain; the Daughters of the 
Revolution, under Mrs. Frank D. Ellison; and county and 
city home demonstration agents of the Massachusetts Agri- 
cultural College were only a few of the many organizations 
which gave their hearty co-operation to every branch of 
the undertaking. 

An account of the work of the more active committees 
directly associated with the Massachusetts division of the 
Woman's Council of National Defense follows. 



261 



CHAPTER II 

COMMITTEE ON CHILD WELFARE, WOMAN'S COUN 
CIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE 

Miss Mary Beard, Chairman. 

Miss Gertrude W. Peabody, V ice-Chairman. 



Mrs. Michael M. Cunniff. 

Miss Isabel Hyams. 

Mrs. Robert L. DeNormandie. 



Mrs. William Lowell Putnam. 
Mrs. S. Burt Wolbach. 
Mrs. W. W. Whitcher. 



It would be impossible to tell the story of the Child 
Welfare De])artinent of the Council of National Defense 
without giving in part the history of the State Department 
of Health in its work for child conservation. The task was 
a joint one, to which both sides devoted themselves with 
enthusiasm. 

Soon after the ITnited States declared war, the Massa- 
chusetts State Department of Health turned its attention 
to the probable eft'ects of such action upon the civilian 
popidation, and outlined a program for the protection of 
maternity and infancy. War, it was recognized, was sure 
to produce an economic situation which would react on the 
health of children. The price of food would increase, thus 
inviting difficulties in providing children with proi)er nourish- 
ment. Men would be drafted into active service, thereby 
lowering the income of the family, or forcing the mother, 
at the sacrifice of her child, to work. The high wages offered 
under pressure of war conditions would tempt mothers to 
become wage earners and to neglect their children. The 
infant mortality rate was certain to register the results of 
these conditions. Fin-thermore, the birth rate would luitu- 
rally decline, and unless this was in some degree counter- 
balanced, a serious shortage of man power faced the coming 
generation. Normally, over 1*2,000 babies under five years 
old, of whom 4,000 are under a month old, die annually in 

262 



Massachusetts. Medical experts assert that this slaughter 
of the innocents, and economic waste, could be reduced 
one-half if scientific knowledge and skill were made available 
to women. Dr. Grace Meigs's study of the effect of the 
war on infancy and maternity in the European countries 
gave actual proof that the anticipated conditions had there 
resulted, and were so serious in their nature that in the 
second year of the war each countrj^ had taken radical steps 
to combat them, with very encouraging results. 

On May 26, 1917, Dr. x\llan J. McLaughlin, Massachu- 
setts Commissioner of Health, was appointed, with others 
from the State Department of Health, to serve in an advisory 
capacity as a Committee on Child Conservation. In a 
letter to Governor McCall, announcing the appointment of 
this Committee, he referred to conservation of child life as 
the most important type of conservation in our national 
stress; and as essential thereto, prenatal care, obstetrical 
care and infant feeding. 

The State Committee planned to make a survey of every 
city and town, village and hamlet, in the State, in order to 
discover the mortality and morbidity statistics of children 
under the age of five years, and also to ascertain what 
facilities existed for lowering these figures. It therefore 
appealed for help to the Metropolitan Chapter of the Red 
Cross, and a special fund was raised to meet this war emer- 
gency so directly affecting the civilian population. With 
salaries thus assured, a public health nurse was appointed 
for each of the eight health districts in the State. These 
nurses were selected with the greatest care, all of them 
having had not only public health training, but a consider- 
able amount of experience in actual public health field work 
for children. 

From the first it was evident to the State Committee on 
Child Conservation that the official connection between the 
nurses and the boards of health was not in itself sufiicient 
to assure the desired results. New lines of work had, as a 
rule, been promoted by private initiative and paid for out 

263 



of private funds, and only after their value had been demon- 
strated was the responsibility for their continuance assumed 
by some public body. It appeared that the interest and 
active support of the entire commimity would have to be 
aroused, if infant mortality were to be reduced and the 
recommendations of the State Committee carried out. The 
State Committee, therefore, turned to Miss Mary Beard, 
chainnan of the Child Welfare Department of the Woman's 
Committee of the Council of National Defense. That 
Department was asked by the State Committee to co- 
operate with it in carrying out its program, and by its aid, 
in October, 1918, established a Child Welfare Committee in 
each town, imder the local unit of the Coimcil. These local 
committees varied in their membership and activity with 
the needs of the community. The more populous cities 
organized on a large scale, and the committees were usually 
composed of representatives of all organizations working for 
children, and of others who might be interested. Two hun- 
dred and forty of the committees were formed, ranging in 
membership from one to fifty. In order to arouse and main- 
tain their interest and to create a healthy rivalry, monthly 
conferences were held at the State House, at which specialists 
on the various parts of the program spoke, and where 
informal discussions and reports were made. For the con- 
venience of those living at a distance from Boston conferences 
were held from time to time throughout the State. The 
value of these committees, measured by the influence they 
exerted upon their local communities, can hardly be over- 
estimated. 

To organize and direct the local committees was the 
function of the Committee of the Child Welfare Depart- 
ment of the Council of National Defense. To make the 
surveys, the nurses visited the representatives of the boards 
of health. Child Welfare Committees of the Council of 
National Defense, the child welfare agencies, the visiting 
nursing associations, and other private organizations which 
were doing child welfare work. They also gained informa- 

264 



tion by personal investigation concerning the quality of 
work being done by these organizations. From these facts 
the nurses made to the State Committee on Child Conserva- 
tion such suggestions for develojiing the project as seemed 
to them best adapted to a particular locality. A meeting of 
the State Committee was held at which the nurse who made 
the survey was present, as frequently, also, the health 
officer of the District, and a specific program was outlined. 
A letter, written by the State Committee, was sent to the 
chairman of the Child Welfare Committee of the local unit 
of the Council of National Defense, stating the program and 
urging its adoption. The Commissioner of Health at the 
same time sent a letter to the local board of health in the 
town or city under consideration, urging its assistance in 
putting the plan into operation. 

The recommendations of the State Committee and the 
Commissioner called at times for an extension of the work 
already being done by the local boards of health, or for the 
undertaking of new work by the Committee itself. Some- 
times these advices suggested that additional nurses be 
furnished by the Visiting Nursing Association, or demanded 
reorganization of that body. Again, they called for free 
obstetrical beds in hospitals, and often for the extension of 
prenatal care, or the provision of such care where none had 
been previously given. The Committee invariably urged 
the supervision, also, of healthy children from birth up to 
five years of age. Not infrequently it recommended the 
establishment of prenatal and well-baby clinics. It some- 
times urged that hospitals provide out-patient departments 
to which sick children could be brought for treatment. The 
Committee insisted in every instance on the necessity of 
special training for nurses who did public health work, and 
urged the Department of Health and the visiting nursing 
associations to make special effort to secure this type of 
nurse. These recommendations were in many places carried 
out, through the efforts of the Child Welfare Committees. 

In February, 1918, the Child Welfare Department of the 

265 



Council of National Defense and the Federal Children's 
Bureau proclaimed the "children's year" to be from 
April 6, 1918, to April 6, 1919, and that "the second year of 
the war should be marked by determined Nation-wide effort 
on behalf of childhood." The program also included: — 

I. Public protection of mothers, infants and young cliildren. 

II. Home care and income. 

III. Child labor and education. 

IV. Recreation. 

V. Children in need of special care. 

The first part of this comprehensive plan for child conser- 
vation dealt with problems of infant mortality and child 
hygiene, and the program presented was almost identical 
with that already being carried out in Massachusetts. The 
national plan, however, urged that as a basis for permanent 
child welfare work a physical census of all children under 
five years old be taken by a national weighing and measuring 
test. The country would then know the physical condition 
of its young children, and take the necessary measures to 
improve it, while the coming generation would be able to 
pass a better physical examination than the young men of 
the present day had proved themselves in condition to do 
when examined for the draft. The test was approved by 
the State Committee, and was carried out by the local Child 
Welfare Committees with the active and enthusiastic assist- 
ance of the child welfare nurses. Record cards and printed 
instructions were supplied by the Children's Bureau, and 
each committee was instructed that the value of the test 
lay in the thoroughness with which plans for permanent 
follow-up work were carried out. 

The usefulness of the weighing and measuring test lay in 
two directions : first, the parents and the community learned 
what was the physical condition of their little children; and 
second, they learned how conditions unfavorable to the 
health of the children could be improved. One hundred and 
fifty-two towns, cities and villages in Massachusetts went 

266 



through this wholesome experience. To give but one 
example, the test was applied in a certain city to 742 chil- 
dren, of whom one-third were below the average standard. 
One child had been suffering for four years with badly 
inflamed and swollen eyes. A very lame little boy was found 
upon examination to have considerable shortening in one 
leg, caused by a broken bone of which the parents were 
ignorant. A tuberculous mother was struggling to take care 
of her three children. Poorly nourished women were nursing 
their babies, and children were being improperly fed. Num- 
bers of adenoids and enlarged tonsils were discovered. 
Mothers were eager to substitute artificial feeding for breast- 
feeding, and others were ignorant of the physical care their 
babies required in order to keep them well. 

The question was, what would the attitude of the com- 
munity be towards this revelation of its neglected and un- 
cared for children? Would more proof be needed that it 
was failing to give them the chance to become strong and 
able to do their school work.^^ As a result, in this particular 
city three permanent clinics were established, and the under- 
average cases received special attention from the public 
health nurse. Some children were sent to hospitals for treat- 
ment, and others were referred to family physicians; the 
child with sore eyes was put under special supervision, and 
thus saved from blindness; and the little lame boy w^as 
much benefited by hospital treatment. Mothers gladly 
received and acted upon the instruction given them in 
infant care and feeding. 

The methods of procedure in different places varied 
greatly. In one town of 4,000 the first step of the Child 
Welfare Committee was to procure a nurse. The weighing 
and measuring process followed, which gave publicity to the 
work. Co-operation between the doctors, the school officers 
and the Committee was quickly secured, and the execution, 
of the program begun. The final outcome was the organiza- 
tion of a Visiting Nursing Association which represented a 
broader interpretation of public health service, and of which 

267 



the Child Welfare Committee became a part. In many 
communities where visiting nursing associations already 
existed, the Child Welfare Committee urged upon the associa- 
tion the need for prenatal and child welfare work. Well- 
baby clinics were established; sometimes by the Child Wel- 
fare Committee itself, often by its influence on an existing 
organization, and again by the public health officials. The 
same variety of influences took part in the establishment of 
special child welfare nurses. One city, with a popidation of 
62,000, reported that through the pressure of the Council 
of National Defense the need for further work in the interest 
of baby saving was so emphasized that Anally the matter was 
given consideration in the inaugural address of the mayor, 
and promises were made for sufficient appropriations to meet 
all requirements. 

In the city of Boston, after the weighing and measuring 
test was completed, the clinics of the Baby Hygiene Associa- 
tion more than doubled in many of the districts, and the 
children's clinics in all the hospitals increased very per- 
ceptibly, that of the Children's Hospital increasing 20 per 
cent. However, with Boston's thousands of underweight 
children, the Child Welfare Committee realized the impossi- 
bility of carrying out in a few months' time an intensive 
follow-up campaign for the whole city, and therefore selected 
one district for a demonstration. 

Side by side with this medical program an educational 
propaganda was also carried on in Massachusetts. Pre- 
ventive medicine is still a new science, and is to a large extent 
unrecognized in its relation to maternity and infancy. Its 
possibilities and actual accomplishments in this connection 
must be presented clearly and repeatedl^^ to the public, if 
the demand for such care is to be so universal as to insure 
its being 5>upplied. Material for this propaganda was dis- 
tributed weekly to the local Child Welfare Committees, as 
well as published in the newspapers throughout the State. 
In addition, the baby hygiene program was personally 

268 



explained. The physicians of the State Committee pre- 
sented the plan to the medical groups; the supervisors spoke 
at meetings in every town; and the vice-chairman of the 
Child Welfare Department journeyed through the Common- 
wealth, meeting her local chairmen at convenient points in 
conference. Women's clubs had the plan brought to their 
attention by their public health committees, and each local 
committee endeavored to arouse its community to the im- 
portance of introducing and developing these measures, if 
only for its own benefit. The excellent literature of the 
State Department of Health on the care and feeding of the 
baby was also widely distributed. 

An important piece of educational work was done by the 
Boston Committee in connection with the Child Conserva- 
tion Cottage, one of a group placed on Boston Common 
during the war. Posters and exhibits on the care and hygiene 
of the expectant mother, and on the hygiene of the baby and 
the medical supervision essential for children up to five years 
of age, were all arranged in attractive form. Printed placards 
showed the value of a doctor's care for the expectant mother, 
both for her own safety and that of her baby. Breast-feed- 
ing was emphasized, and modification and supervision of 
milk explained. Suitable and reasonably priced clothes for 
mother and baby were put on view. A cariole made from a 
packing box, a clothes-basket bed, and other useful articles 
were displayed. A trained nurse, a graduate of the Children's 
Hospital, was in attendance to answer questions and explain 
exhibits. Her work was reinforced by that of a corps of 
volunteers. Mothers sought her professional advice, and 
eagerly listened to her talks on the many details of health 
and hygiene. Lectures were given in the cottage by experi- 
enced physicians on prenatal care, physical care of young 
children, and hygiene of the eyes, ears and teeth. Two talks 
were given for Italian mothers in their native tongue. A 
Liberty Milk Shop was also opened in Boston for the purpose 
of educating the people in the value of milk as food, and 

269 



the many ways of using it. On account of the increased 
price much less milk was being used, and in some homes the 
children's milk supply was entirely cut off. 

As the result of a conference with the vocational school 
division of the Board of Education, a course on child welfare 
was outlined by the department and the State Department 
of Health, for use in the vocational schools. This was ap- 
proved by the State Board of Education, and published by 
the State Department of Health. About 1,000 copies were 
distributed, being designed for the practical instruction of 
girls over fourteen years of age and for young married 
women. Such topics as prenatal care, infant feeding, care of 
the baby, and mental development were included, with a 
final study of community resources for child care. Each 
subject was treated in a practical way, fully illustrated, and 
with ample suggestions for demonstrations. It was believed 
that this might be the beginning of a more general education 
for girls in infant and child care, and it was earnestly hoped 
that the opportunity would be given later for all girls over 
fourteen to have like training. 

It is impossible to estimate the results of these twenty 
months of intensive child-saving in Massachusetts, or how 
far their influence reached. Certain definite statements 
may, however, be made. Positions were created for sixty 
public health nurses. Thirty-three child welfare stations 
and eight prenatal clinics were established. The sum of 
$85,480 was raised by subscription for nurses' salaries. The 
terrible epidemic which swept over Massachusetts in Sep- 
tember and October, 1918, demonstrated in many localities 
the crying need of the community nurse. Many towns of 
2,000 or 3,000 inhabitants were at that time still asking for 
municipal appropriations for public health service. The 
education of the public in the value of child conservation 
largely determines progressive action in this direction, and 
Massachusetts may indeed look forward to steady increase 
in the practical work as the natural outcome of the activities 
of public and private agencies urging these ends. 



270 



In June, 1918, the recreation program for "children's 
j^ear" was issued. An appeal was made to save the children 
of the country from the dangers incident to war, by pro- 
viding them with wholesome recreation and activities for 
their leisure time. In a study of child welfare in warring 
countries in Europe, made by the Children's Bureau, it was 
stated that juvenile delinquency had increased. Greater 
numbers of children than usual were being brought to court, 
with increasing seriousness in their offenses. Writers on the 
subject were unanimous in their reasons for this delinquency, 
such as the absence of fathers in the army, and of mothers 
in the factory; the fact that leaders had been drawn away 
from the schools and clubs; that parks and playgrounds 
had been closed; that children could command high wages, 
and therefore developed that sense of freedom from disci- 
pline which comes to a child with independent wage-earning 
ability. 

The national program asked that a "patriotic play week" 
be arranged for every town during September, with the idea 
that all summer play activities might culminate in one great 
demonstration. Leaflets were published with suggestions 
for games, pageants, picnics and physical efficiency tests. 
These were sent to every chairman in Massachusetts. It 
was realized, however, that to do any thorough work expert 
leadership was necessary, as in the baby hygiene program, 
where the nurses had taken so important a part. The 
Playground and Recreation Association of iVmerica was 
appealed to, and a field secretary w^as sent to develop recrea- 
tional work in Massachusetts in connection with the Child 
Welfare Department. She came in August, but unfortu- 
nately her work was seriously interrupted by the influenza 
epidemic and her own illness, forcing her to be away for 
three months and preventing the resumption of her work 
until January. Her report of the situation reads as fol- 
lows : — 

In Massachusetts the plans for a play week amounted to nothing — 
as such; but the Child Welfare Committee in disseminating the material 

271 



on the subject did a very effective piece of constructive work. The htera- 
ture sent out has been of decided educational vahie, and has had an un- 
toKl influence in arousing coniniunities to the reahzation of the inii)ortance 
of play in child conservation. The proof of the efficacy of this propaganda 
is the number of towns which have asked for further information regard- 
ing the movement, and which have shown a desire to start the work. If 
follow-up work can be provided before this interest has a chance to lag, 
without doubt much progress will be made. 

In November the nationiil i)r()grain for the ''back-to- 
school drive" was issued. This aimed to return to school 
those boys and girls who left in June but failed to come 
back after vacation; also to educate parents, and the public 
generally, in the value of a longer period of instruction for 
boys and girls, and in establishing scholarships for those 
who would otherwise be unable to obtain such education. 
Continuation classes and vocational guidance were given 
consideration in the scheme. The Child Welfare Depart- 
ment turned to the State Board of Education for advice, 
and offered its co-operation in carrying out that part of the 
program which the commissioner considered proper and 
necessary" in Massachusetts. After several conferences be- 
tween the two departments, the commissioner made the 
following statement, which was sent to Washington : — 

The laws of this State appear to provide adequate means to be used 
by the [)roperly constituted authorities of the State for the enforcement 
of compulsory education laws, and for the prevention of illegal employ- 
ment of children in industry. Moreover, it is proposed to strengthen the 
compulsory education law, and to add provisions for compulsory continua- 
tion schools. Plans for this legislation are being vigorously pushed. 

The commissioner further stated as his belief that "ample 
machinery was provided by law, through the authorized 
school officials of the State, for dealing with this group of 
boys and girls from fourteen to sixteen years of age." As 
a result of the foregoing, the "back-to-school drive" received 
no further emphasis. 

With the cessation of war, the departments of the Council 
of National Defense were asked to make plans whereby 

27^2 



such activities as were of use to the State in times ol" i)eace 
shoiikl be organized in snch a way as to be permanent and 
independent of the Council of National Defense. This 
work, also started ))y the IVIassacluisetts Connnittee, would 
ap])ear to be as important in peace as in war time. In con- 
sidering the actual results accomplished by the depart- 
ment, the program in relation to chikl hygiene stood out 
most forcibly, and it was determined that every effort 
should be centered ui)()n insm-ing its ])ermanency and further 
development. Accordingly, each chairman was asked to 
report how the work started by the local connnittee could 
best be tied to a permanent local organization. The re])lies 
fell into three groups: (1) the work should be carried on by 
the Visiting Nursing Association; or ('2) by the Board of 
Health; or (3), in a few instances, the Child Welfare Com- 
mittee of the Council of National Defense should itself 
become a permanent Child Hygiene Association. 

There already existed in Massachusetts an Association of 
Directors of Pu})lic Health Nursing Organizations, of which 
many child welfare chairmen were members, and which 
others expected to join. The vice-chairman of the Child 
Welfare De])artnieut was the ])resident of this association, 
and the State Board of Health had the list of its members 
and was ready to continue to hold conferences at the State 
House, and also to call u])on this same group of women to 
helj) carry out a State program governing the health of 
children. The official backing of the Council of National 
Defense will be missed, but the work that was in existence 
for a year should be strong enough to stand by itself with 
the co-operation of an unofficial State association. In a few 
cities the local interest in recreation was so great that a 
special committee was being formed to fm-ther the work 
in(le])endently. It is therefore not unreasonable to hope 
that what was begun as a war emergency will be of perma- 
nent value to the Connnonwealth. 



273 



CHAPTER III 
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE 

The Committee on Women in Agriculture, for the summer 
of 1918, was as follows: — 

Mrs. J. Montgomerj' Sears, Chairman. 



Mrs. Gordon Abbott. 
Miss Mabel Babcock. 
Mrs. William A. Copeland, 
Miss Helen Holmes. 



Mrs. Lewis K. Morse. 
Mrs. William S. Patten. 
Mrs. Richard S. Russell. 
Mrs. James Swift. 



In the spring of 1918 a conference was called by Mrs. 
Thayer to plan for the work of women in agriculture in 
Massachusetts, at which were present representatives of 
the Committee on Public Safety and the Women's Agri- 
cultural Committee of the Council of National Defense. 

At this meeting it was decided that the registration of 
women for agricultural service should be done by the Land 
Service Committee of the Woman's National Farm and 
Garden Association, and that the experiment of establish- 
ing separate units should be attempted, rather than to make 
a State-wide canvas for woman labor. As the chairman of 
the Land Service Committee, Mrs. Sears, was also a member 
of the Woman's Committee on Agriculture, this work was 
done in co-operation with the Council of National Defense. 

Twelve hundred women were registered, and 250 were 
placed in units or on private estates. Eleven units were 
established by the Land Service Committee, and the two 
largest, at Lancaster and Westwood, were financed by the 
New England branch, both being installed as demonstration 
units and sources of labor supply. 

In connection with the Westwood unit, which began work 
in May and closed October 1, a community market was 
established in Dedham, where fresh vegetables were sold by 
the farmerettes two days each week. Canning was also 

274 



carried on throughout the season, and the unit furnished 
labor to 50 employers. In its behalf a farmerette festival 
was held, September 19, 1918, on the estate of Mrs. Edward 
Cunningham, which proved a great success. Five hundred 
people were present, 100 of this number being farmerettes, 
and the net returns amounted to $1,400. 

The demands for service at Lancaster began with the 
first warm days in the spring, when the emergency w^ork 
consisted of asparagus cutting, and continued until after 
harvesting, in October. In all, 52 employers were served in 
Lancaster and vicinity, and 33 per cent of this service re- 
mained in the country to work during the winter. 

Ten other young women, from various summer units, 
were placed at work on the estate of Mr. Richard T. Crane, 
Jr., at Ipswich, where they likewise studied various phases 
of farm life. 

Very few of the women employed had any previous knowl- 
edge of farm life, but their spirit and attitude toward the 
project contributed largely to its success. This was proved 
by the appreciation shown on the part of their employers, 
who felt (the labor problem being so acute) that their crops 
in many cases would have been lost but for this extra help. 

On Labor Day, the Pittsfield Unit, which was supervised 
by Miss E. M. Boutwell and financed by Miss Gertrude 
Watson, held a county fair in Pittsfield, which netted 
$400. This sum was given to the Land Service Com- 
mittee, who added another $100. The whole was then 
contributed to the New England branch for a scholarship 
fund, to be used by young women wishing to take special 
agricultural courses at Amherst the following winter. These 
scholarships were awarded to five young women w^ho had 
worked in units the previous summer, and who wished to 
take up agriculture as a vocation and to pursue their studies 
at the Massachusetts Agricultural College. 

Improved health was reported by practically all workers, 
and for the first time the joys of country life and work in 
the open were realized by many of these young women. 

275 



A report of the work on the Brookhne gardens, nnder the 
direction of Mrs. "WilHam S. Patten of the National Civic 
Federation, stated : — 

The Brookline Girls' Gardening Unit was most satisfactory. Not one 
of the girls dropped out, missed a single day or was late at her work. 
Twelve out of the fifteen girls asked to be allowed to woi-k until September 
8, five weeks longer than the time for which they volunteered. 

A dance was given for the girls at the Brookline Day Nursery. On 
July 13, Mrs. Higginson and INIrs. William Reed invited them to Cohas- 
set, where they tliorouglily enjoyed a swim and a ])i(nie supi)er. 

On July 15, the garden was inspected by Mrs. Mead. We fed the girls 
at the Brookline Day Nursery morning and evening at a cost of 25 cents 
a day for each girl. With the cook's wages of $10.50 a week it brings the 
cost per girl to 38 cents a day. As we receive 50 cents from the town of 
Brookline, the expense to the Civic Federation, not including installment, 
for eight weeks, May 15 to July 10, is $8.08. 

The Lowthorpe Horticultural School, represented by Miss 
Babcock, director, reported : — 

The school established short training courses for supervisors in the 
spring of 1918. During the summer eleven students were enrolled who 
did good work. Courses of lectures were given by Amlierst men. The 
classes planned and planted their own gardens, assisted the Girl Scout 
Camp of Harvard, and did most of the work on the farm at Lowthorpe 
— haying, apple picking, canning, etc., — except plowing, and learned 
to milk and to take care of the stock. The garden and crops proved suc- 
cessful, and we were able to send fre(iuent contributions of vegetables to 
Camp Devens. 

The Service Unit of the North Shore Garden Club, repre- 
sented l)y Mrs. Gordon Abbott, reported: — 

Last spring, when the food shortage was beginning to be acutely felt 
in this country, a group of young girls, most of them still at school, offered 
to give their time during the summer holidays to growing vegetables for 
the Beverly Hospital, if the Garden Club would underwrite expenses. 

This offer was gladly accepted, and the hospital, with a personnel of 
one livmdred, has bought no ^'egetal)les since the early cro})s were rii)e. 
The sui)ply of canned and dried vegetables will last until next spring's 
crops are ready. 

The girls enlisted for voluntary service of at least nine hours a week, 

276 



under the name ot the Service Unit of the North Shore Garden Ckib. 
Their work had three branches, — a motor corps that collected surplus 
vegetables from neighboring gardens, a group of farmerettes who did all 
the work exclusive ot ])lowing and harrowing, and a canning group. This 
last worked at the Wenham Cannery under the direction of Mrs. Edward 
B. Cole for one da}' a week, and the members put her instruction to such 
good use that they were able, by the 1st of July, to undertake, without 
supervision, the canning and preserving of large quantities of their garden 
produce at a small and vvell-e(iuipped room tliat was lent to them for the 
purjxise in the neighborhood of their farm. Only 4 jars of the 3,0G9 pre- 
pared by them have spoiled. 

No man worked on the farm, nor was any labor hired. Most of the 
girls worked with splendid spirit, and earned the arm band of the Farm 
and Garden Association, which was given to any girl who kept conscien- 
tiously her agreement with the unit. The results, that no bookkeeping can 
compute, are the gain to the girls in character, the real benefit to patients 
and nurses of an ample supply of fresh vegetables, the increased produc- 
tion of food at a time when it was much needed, and the help to the hos- 
pital when the funds of all home charities were low. Much encourage- 
ment and useful advice from older North Shore residents have helped to 
make this experiment of the girls and their youthful leaders a success. 



£77 



CHAPTER IV 
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND RECREATION 

The Department of Health and Recreation, under the 
leadership of Mrs. Clarence R. Edwards, was formed in 
May, 1917. During the summer Mrs. Edwards was instru- 
mental in starting three service clubs, — - one in Ayer, one 
near Camp Devens, and one in Boston at 48 Boylston 
Street. Mrs. Edwards also formed a very efficient committee 
of chairmen of existing organizations interested in work 
among women and girls. Later, Mrs. Edwards left Boston, 
and Mrs. Robert W. Lovett was appointed executive chair- 
man, the chainnanship being held by Mrs. John A. Johnston, 
with the following executive committee : — 



Miss Mary A. Barr. 
Mrs. A. K. Cohen. 
Mrs. William Coolidge. 
Miss Mary Fay. 
Mrs. George R. Fearing, 



Mrs. Henry Howard. 
Mrs. Joseph Lee. 
Mrs. Harold Peabody, 
Mrs. R. S. Russell. 
Mrs. Robert Weston. 



This department was formed, not only to act as a clearing 
house and co-ordinating agency, but to carry out in the 
State the work so ably suggested and accomplished by the 
War Camp Community Service in the cantonments. It co- 
operated closely with the Naval Auxiliary, the Special Aid, 
the Massachusetts League for Catholic Women, the Jewish 
League, the Jewish Welfare Board, the Massachusetts League 
for Women and Girls, and the War Work Councils of both 
the Young Women's and Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tions, The chairman served on both of these councils, and 
the department worked in concert with the local committees 
of both organizations and with the Massachusetts Com- 
mittee for Girls Work. 

Since it was found that there existed pressing need to 

278 



awaken girls from fourteen to twenty-one years of age to a 
sense of their responsibilities and to the definite part they 
must. take in the war, certain service leagues were established 
with the help of trained, as well as of volunteer workers. 
These leagues were organized in the following twenty-two 
cities and towns of the State: Springfield, Northampton, 
Greenfield, Sunderland, North Adams, Ayer, Pittsfield, 
Worcester, Fitchburg, Leominster, Framingham, New Bed- 
ford, Fall River, Weymouth, Scituate, Wakefield, Medford, 
Ipswich, Newburyport, Lowell, Quincy and Cambridge. In 
ten cities trained organizers were provided by the War 
Camp Community Service. This is only one of the many 
cases where the co-operation of these service leagues was of 
vital importance to the department. Four of the cities 
were equipped with such organizers through local support. 

The experience of the Committee in Lowell showed great 
possibilities. A community recreational center was estab- 
lished under the auspices of the War Camp Community 
Service. This was entirely non-sectarian, and was enthusi- 
astically supported by Jews, Catholics and Protestants. 

In Ayer, where the congestion caused by Camp Devens 
was very acute, the Committee was able, through the kind 
offices of the State, to establish a comfort and first-aid 
station. 

The enthusiasm shown by the girls, and their eagerness to 
do their share, encouraged every effort to continue in the 
future the plan so started, and to profit by the lessons 
taught by the emergencies of war. It was therefore especially 
gratifying when later the War Camp Community Service 
agreed to take over the work of the department, as under 
its auspices none of the benefits of the past months were 
likely to be wasted. 



279 



CHAPTER V 

COMMITTEE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING 
SOCIAL AGENCIES 

Mrs. Frederick S. Mead, Chairman. 

Mrs. L. Carteret Fenno, Fimt Vicc-Chairman. 

Miss Ida M. Cannon, Second Vice-Chair man. 

Miss Mary T. Beard. 

Miss Francis R. Morse. 

Miss Mary M. Riddle. 

The duties of this Committee were not considered to be 
executive. Through its co-operation with the other depart- 
ments of the Council of National Defense and its Advisory 
Committee, and in consultation with the leaders in the 
field of social agencies, its task was: — 

First. — To be satisfied, through a preliminary survey, 
that the existing agencies were not being seriously crippled 
because of the war emergency. In this connection a survey 
conducted by Miss Cannon, Miss Ella Lyman, and Miss 
R. Emerson showed that Massachusetts charitable agencies 
did not apprehend serious difficulty financially. They re- 
ported that their greatest trouble lay in a shortage of social 
workers, many of whom had been drawn upon for service 
in the Red Cross, Young Men's Christian Association, etc. 

Second. — To carry and interpret the messages from 
Washington, and to make sure of such correlation among 
the peace-time agencies as was essential to meet the necessi- 
ties created by war conditions. Recognition of this require- 
ment had already been felt among the agencies, which were 
fouiul to be working satisfactorily. 

Settlements 

Boston was especially fortunate in its many settlement 
groups. The Council had little to offer to them. On the 

280 



other hand, they were of inestimable service to the com- 
munity during the continuance of the war. 

One piece of settlement work, however, was brought 
about, through the Council of National Defense, with the 
sanction of this Committee, and with the approval also of 
Mr. Robert A. Woods, president of the Social Union. This 
was the districting of the city of Boston by neighborhoods, 
undertaken by Mr. S. Woods of the South End House, Miss 
Wills of the Lincoln House, Mrs. Gookin, overseer of the 
poor, and Miss Mary A. Barr, chairman of the Food Com- 
mittee for Boston. Under Miss Barr's leadership the plan 
ultimately developed, for the food work of the city proved 
to be of permanent value. 

Day Nurseries 

Several conferences were held with day nursery groups of 
the State Department of Health, following which the work 
was undertaken by the Department of Women in Industry, 
and it was ultimately decided to leave the matter entirely 
in the hands of that organization. Particular attention was 
given to the question of licensing day nurseries in the State. 

Hospitals 

The necessity for increasing both the number of candi- 
dates and the facilities for a nursing service was judged to 
be the most obvious requirement. A year previously con- 
ferences of hospital superintendents, called by Dr. Herbert 
B. Howard of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, led to a 
survey of facilities in training schools, and arrangements 
were made to fill all available space in these schools. 

To increase the nursing service without lowering pro- 
fessional standards, different methods were adopted : — 

1. The Housing-out of Pupils. — ■ This was not widely 
favored by superintendents in Massachusetts, who felt that 
nurses should have routine hospital life during their training. 

2. Admittance of College Women. — This permitted the 

281 



admittance of college women, whose degree is accepted as 
the equivalent of one year's service. 

3. Release of Pupil Nurses. — Encouragement was given 
for the release of pupil nurses for a period of four months 
during their senior year, that they might acquire special 
experience in public health work. 

Opportunities for the training of sixty of the nurses thus 
released were arranged through the Instructive District 
Nursing Association and Simmons College. A sub-committee 
of the Council of National Defense, under the chairmanship 
of Mrs. Stephen Rushmbre, rendered helpful service. Pro- 
vision for housing the nurses was made through a special 
grant of $20,000 from the Metropolitan Chapter of the Red 
Cross. 

4. Army Nurses' Training Corps. — Massachusetts had 
one of the first army nurse training schools, — at Camp 
Devens. Miss Mary M. Riddle, superintendent of the 
Newton Hospital and a member of the Committee, was 
chosen superintendent. At this juncture Washington in- 
quired whether the Committee w^ould be able to secure 
suitable personnel for the opening class within a fortnight's 
time. Dr. Anne H. Strong undertook the task, and the 
class was largely chosen from a list submitted by her. The 
members entered the service for patriotic reasons, and 
brought a new group into the field of nursing. Miss Strong 
was asked to send to Washington a synopsis of the method 
she used to secure this group. 

A sub-committee, with Mrs. F. L. Higginson as chairman, 
and Mrs. L. C. Fenno as treasurer, raised a fund to buy 
equij)ment, textbooks and other necessities for the routme 
of the school. Without this money the training would have 
been much delayed, and in many instances found to be 
impossible. 

Drive for Army Nurses* Training Corps 

When the general call came from Washington for the 
enrollment of candidates for the Army Nurses' Training 

282 



Corps, a joint meeting was held with the councilors of the 
State Nursing Association, by which their co-operation was 
secured in making the plan known throughout the State, 
and also in the establishment of a bureau at the Massachu- 
setts General Hospital under the guidance of Miss Helen 
Wood. Exceedingly important work was done through the 
bureau in the distribution of information on the general 
subject of nursing, as well as in regard to the army course. 
The results were far greater than is shown by the figures. 

Number receiving army application blanks, 204 

Average age of applicants, 24 

Number having more than a high school education (not including 

a business course), 75 

Two hundred and fourteen applicants were found to be 
ineligible for the army school. These were given a list of 
civilian hospitals, to which they were directly to apply. 

Student Nurses' Reserve Corps 

A meeting was called of representative superintendents 
throughout the State, and their opinion asked as to the 
manner in which the Student Nurses' Reserve Corps should 
be organized. With their assistance, and through the Com- 
mittee's connection with the Council of National Defense, 
as well as by extensive publicity, a large enrollment was 
secured. The work was so well done that the training 
schools throughout the Commonwealth will continue in the 
future to reap the benefit thereof in the increased number of 
applicants they have to draw from. 

Other work undertaken by the Committee follows. 

Commission for Nurses 

At the request of Acting Surgeon-General Brooks, 100 
nurses were passed upon to serve in case of emergency in 
the Massachusetts State Guard. These nurses were given 
the rank and pay of Lieutenant. It is believed that this is 

283 



the first time such rank and ]iay liave Ixvmi <?iv(Mi to wonion 
in tlic I niiod States, allliouj^li a similar system lias been 
(iistoniary in Canada and parts of Europe. 

Survey of Hospital Accommodations 

In connection with ilie Council of National Defense of 
Boston, Miss Riddle ])repared a ((uestionnaire to ascertain 
tlie number of beds, the inunediale use of which could ])e 
dei)ended u])ou for relurniu^' wounded. The estimate was 
about (),()()() for the whole State. Plans were discussed with 
the same f?rou]) as to adecpuite provision for sy])hilitic and 
tuberculous cases, and for those needing' trainin*;' lor rehabili- 
tation service. 

Health Emergency during Influenza Epidemic 

The chairman of the (committee, Mrs. Mead, through her 
connection with the Council of National Defense, was asked 
to serve on tlie (lovernor's Health Emergency Committee, 
and w^as ])ut in charge of its ])(M-sounel. The exi)erience of 
that ])eriod made il more than ever evidcTil thai our nursing 
service was far from adequate in numbers, and, moreover, 
that there was real need of widening the service by the 
inclusion of licensed attendants. Of the total 1,000 women 
who ])assed through the bureau and took i)art in the care 
of I he sick, 600, or iiearly two-thirds, were untrained lay- 
women. At a meeting of very re])resentative interests in 
the nursing world, called just after the epidemic, it was 
agreed by all that a place in the nursing service should be 
made for attendants, and that every effort should be ad- 
vanced to further legislation insuruig the registration of 
nurses based u])on graduation from an approved hosi)it.al, 
and also for licensing attendants. 

Mrs. Thayer, as chairman of the Woman's De])artment of 
the Council of National Defense, w^as asked to a])})ear for 
this bill, and the Committee had reason to hope that the 
legislation so long ho])ed for would be i)assed, for great 
interest in mirsing had been sliundatcd both by the war 

284 



and by the cpidciiiic, and perhaps, in a sh'^ht measure, 
through the efforts of tlie Woman's Connnittee of the Couneil 
of Defense to enhst ])ul)hc interest in nursing ])roblems. 
The bill in question had not been enacted at the time the 
activities of the Connnittee ceased. 

Realizing that the epidemic, like every other great disaster, 
woidd leave much suffering in its trail, an advisory coimcil 
was appointed to carry out the plan for medical social 
service as drawn up at Mrs. Thayer's rec[uest by Miss Ida 
M. Cannon of the Committee. Miss Edith N. Burleigh, 
superintendent of the Girls Parole Department, was loaned 
to take charge of the work. District su])ervisors, all highly 
trained social workers loaned by varit)us agencies, were 
placed in the eight health districts of the State, the first 
approach to each district being nuide through the district 
health officer. The su])ervisors quickly determined the 
need in their respective districts, and whether there was 
any possibility of its being nu4 through local resources. 
This often resulted in a re([uest for a certain ty])e of worker 
to stay long enough on the local job to help develop a good 
working plan. The supervisors also visited 123 cities and 
towns of the 354 in the State, and found that the emergency 
was adequately met in 43, but only ])artially in 37. There 
appeared to be distinctly ina<le(|uate leadcrshi]) in 11, and 
no community organization at all in 14. In the majority of 
instances the local board of health was the ])rominent factor 
controlling treatment and relief; in others, the Red Cross 
and Connnittee on Public Safety had charge. Thirty-seven 
of the towns had district nursing organizations. In 27, 
emergency hos])itals had been o])ened. In 30 or more 
instances the district supervisor was the direct means of 
consolidating community forces. 

Social Service 

At the Connnittee's request a short course for social 
service workers was held at the School of Social Work 
(Simmons College) in the sunnner of 191S, case work being 

285 



provided in connection with it. This was done in conjunction 
with the Red Cross and other war service organizations, and 
made a definite appeal to those who wished to uphold peace- 
time agencies. 

Conferences were held in regard to the possibility of 
increasing the attendance at meetings of the Massachusetts 
State Conference, and extending that body's influence. Upon 
the advice of leading social workers it was decided to put 
to one side, for the time, at least, the question-of federating 
charities, both as to their functions and their finances. A 
plan for a social service bureau was considered, and a survey 
prepared by Mrs. Harvey N. Davis, but this was not acted 
upon because of the efficient work of the bureau of the 
American Red Cross and that of the Special Aid for American 
Preparedness societies, both of which were in a position to 
extend their work among peace-time social agencies. 

Two conferences with city and town representatives of 
the Council of National Defense were held to discuss plans 
and procedure. Several cities, among them Cambridge and 
New^buryport, had already appointed women to represent 
this department of women's work. With these exceptions 
it w^as decided that it would not be necessary to have 
special representatives, but that local work should be 
handled through town and city chairmen. Thanks to the 
latter's splendid co-operation this arrangement proved most 
successful. 

Two large and inspiring meetings were held at the State 
House in connection with the nursing drive. In addition, 
the Council of National Defense arranged for addresses to 
be given at many meetings elsewhere. 

The Connnittee was very grateful to the late Mrs. Harvey 
N. Davis and to Miss Elizabeth Andrews for their valuable 
work as secretaries. Mrs. Mead's task as chairman and 
directing influence in administering the Committee for the 
Maintenance of Existing Social Agencies involved peculiarly 
difficult problems, the satisfactory solution of which is the 
best evidence of her success. 

286 



CHAPTER VI 

THE ARMY AND NAVY YARN SHOP COMMITTEE 

Mrs. A. C. Ratsheskj', Chairman. 
Miss Katharine Endicott. I Mrs. James J. Phelan. 

Mrs. Walter Hunnewell, Jr. Miss Rosalind Wood. 

Mrs. W. S. Patten. | 

This enterprise was under the auspices of the Massachu- 
setts Committee on PubHc Safety, in co-operation with the 
Massachusetts Woman's Council of National Defense, and 
was opened for business on November 17, 1917. Its pur- 
pose was to give the public an opportunity to buy the highest 
grade yarns at wholesale prices, provided those purchasing 
agreed to send the article made therefrom directly to the 
boys overseas or in the camps, independently of the Red 
Cross or any other organization. 

When the subject first came under consideration by the 
Committee on Public Safety, Mr. P. A. O'Connell and Mr. 
George W. Mitton were requested to serve as a sub-com- 
mittee to co-operate with members of the Committee on 
Public Safety to assist in installing and organizing the shop, 
but Mr. Mitton's other work in behalf of the Committee on 
Public Safety caused the greater part of the organizing to 
devolve upon Mr. O'Connell. The shop was located in the 
Little Building on Tremont Street, and was given rent free 
through the courtesy and generosity of Mr. John Mason 
Little. Mr. O'Connell arranged to have a temporary floor 
laid in the store, and also to have all the fixtures built 
suitable in size for capable and efficient handling of a general 
yarn business. He also arranged for publicity work in con- 
nection with the enterprise, and for signs in and outside of 
the building, besides organizing an adequate mail order 
.system for taking care of mail orders in the various cities 
and towns of the Commonwealth. Furthermore, he supplied 

287 



several of his owti employees to overlook the business and 
give their help until such time as it was properly organized 
and a going concern, when it was taken in charge by the 
Committee. The yarn sold for about $2.70 to $2.80 per 
pound, the prevailing price for the same grade in the retail 
stores being about $4 a pound. A condition precedent im- 
posed on any one applying for the yarn was to sign a pledge 
card to the effect that the article made w^ould be given to 
some one serving in the army or navy. Each of the six 
ladies comprising the Committee took charge of the shop 
for one day during the week, and was responsible for securing 
eight or ten volunteers to sell the yarn on that day. Practi- 
cally the only paid workers were one head saleswoman and 
two cashiers. The furniture, cash register and other neces- 
saries were all donated free. In every direction the under- 
taking met with the most generous sympathy from the 
public. 

The co-operation of the metropolitan chapter of the 
American Red Cross also aided materially towards the success 
of the shop. It furnished its own representative to assist in 
selling the yarn, as well as giving printed directions and 
infonnation for the proper knitting of the ganuents. Samples 
of finished articles were always on exliibition. 

One hundred thousand pounds of yarn — khaki, gray and 
natural wool — were contracted for by Mr. A. C. Ratshesky 
at a very much lower rate than the market price, through 
the courtesy and patriotism of Mr. William M. Wood, presi- 
dent of the American Woolen Company. After the shop 
was once started its entire management came under the 
direction of Mrs. Ratshesky, who day and night was unre- 
mitting in her painstaking interest in conducting its affairs. 

When, by a careful accounting, it was found on closing 
the shop that a surplus remained, it was decided to divide 
this amount among projects of a similar character, such as 
war relief agencies. The appended report shows how far 
the surplus was disposed of up to the time the shop closed, 
as well as the amount still left over. 

288 



This last balance ($16, 890. 9*2) was later put into the 
hands of Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer, Mrs. A. C. Ratshesky and 
Mrs. Eugene Endicott as trustees to expend the same for 
similar agencies, in accordance with a vote passed by the 
Committee appointed to wind up and liquidate the affairs 
of the Committee on Public Safety. 

There is no doubt that this enterprise gave to many women 
who otherwise would not have been able to purchase the 
necessary material with which to make sweaters, gloves, 
wristers, stockings, mufflers, etc., an opportunity greatly 
desired, and one which they could have obtained in no 
other way. Their gratitude and appreciation more than 
repaid the efforts put forth in their behalf. 



Army and Navy Yarn Shop 
Receipts 
Sale of 100,000 pounds of yarn, . . . $259,448 71 

Sale of burlap, 101 55 

Bank interest on deposit, 591 01 



$260,141 27 



Expenditures 
Cost of 100,000 pounds of yarn, . . . $230,109 40 
Expense accoiuit. 
Salaries, 
Light and fixtures. 

Express and freight, [ 2,140 95 

Paper and twine, . 

Telephone and telegraph, 
Insurance and advertising, 



232,250 35 



Net profits. 



i7,890 92 



Contributions 



American Red Cross, 

101st Auxiliary, .... 

United War Work Campaign, . 



$5,000 00 
1,000 00 
5,000 00 



11,000 00 



Cash on hand February 1, 1919, 

289 



$16,890 92 



CHAPTER VII 

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 

At the request of the Woman's Committee at Wasliin^toii, 
Mrs. Thayer appointed as chairman of her Department of 
Education the State appointee of the National Association 
of Collegiate Alumnae, Mrs. Sumner B. Peannain of Boston, 
who secured an advisory board or committee, consisting of 
the president and deans of women's colleges, besides others 
well known in educational work in the State, as follows : — 

Miss Sarah L. Arnold, Dean of Simmons College. 

Miss Bertha M. Boody, Dean of Radchffe College. 

Miss Ada L. Comstock, Dean of Smith College. 

Miss Frances G. Curtis, Boston School Committee. 

Miss Caroline S. Davies, Dean of Jackson College. 

Miss Florence Jackson, Appointment Bureau, Women's Educational and 
Industrial Union. 

Mrs. Lee S. McCoUester, President, Boston Branch of the Association of 
Collegiate Alumna.'. 

Miss Ellen F. Pendleton, President of Wellesley College. 

Miss Eva Gowing Ripley, Department of Education, Massachusetts Fed- 
eration of Women's Clubs. 

Mrs. William Morton Wheeler, Women's Municipal League. 

Miss Mary P. Winsor, Director, Winsor School, Brookline. 

Miss Mary E. WooUey, President of Mount Holyoke College. 

Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer, ex officio. 

After many weeks of correspondence, local chainnen were 
placed in most of the towns and cities in the Commonwealth, 
more than half of whom were members of school boards. 
The rest were college graduates or women willing to under- 
take such educational propaganda relating to the war as 
the Washington Committee indicated to be the special busi- 
ness of the Department of Education. 

Members of the x\dvisory Committee, individually and 
collectively, gave much valuable time and thought to the 

290 



best method of conducting a war educational campaign. 
The college officials serving on the Committee made every 
effort to secure from their alumnae recruits for the Army 
School of Nursing, and to offer in their colleges the extra 
curriculum courses required by the exigencies of the war. 

One of the college presidents, Miss Woolley, prepared a 
circular appeal to students, urging them to remain at school 
as a patriotic duty. Another member, Miss Jackson, ob- 
tained for the Committee's use a similar appeal written by 
an undergraduate of Smith College. A third. Miss Winsor, 
took the lead in compiling a patriotic reading list, entitled 
"Patriotism, Internationalism and the Great War," which, 
with permission of officials of the New York Library, was 
issued by the Committee as a supplement to the New York 
library list, entitled "Patriotism." In September, 1917, 
President Pendleton sent a personal, signed appeal to all 
Wellesley alumnae in behalf of the need for nurses. All 
members of the Committee took an active interest in an 
effort, suggested by. Mrs. Thayer, to have the Harvard 
Medical School open to women on the same terms as to 
men. Much time was spent in preparing a petition to the 
President and Fellows of Harvard University, to which were 
appended the signatures of well-known educators, men and 
women, not only in Massachusetts, but in the cities of New 
York, Washington, Chicago and St. Louis, and at Columbia, 
Wisconsin, Brown, Vassar and Bryn Mawr. A letter from 
President Lowell of Harvard University to Mrs. Thayer 
acknowledged the receipt of the petition, and stated that it 
would have very earnest consideration, and a special Com- 
mittee was appointed by the college for this purpose. 

In the name of the Advisory Committee, a number of 
circular letters and questionnaires were sent to the 350 local 
representatives, asking their co-operation: first, to secure 
patriotic speakers for the schools; second, to place the Com- 
mittee's patriotic reading list, appeals to students, war 
pamphlets and other literature in schools, public libraries, 
current events classes, and with individuals living in sparsely 

291 



settled communities; and third, to combine organized forces 
for a campaign of patriotic education according to the needs 
of the community, and for that end to use local four-minute 
speakers and other speakers furnished free of charge by the 
Speakers' Bureau of the Committee on Public Safety; also 
government films, posters and State Food Exhibits. 

In order to mobilize all available forces of college women 
in the State, the Department of Education, with the full 
co-operation of Mrs. Thayer, prepared and issued during 
the third week in September, 1918, a very carefully worded 
questionnaire to about 8,000 college graduates, asking for a 
record of their war work to date, and of the work they 
would be willing to undertake the following year, at home or 
abroad, along the lines required by the various State and 
United States war agencies. Owing partly to the influenza 
epidemic, but also to the sudden termination of hostilities, 
only 2,000 cards were filled in and returned. Of these, 1,700, 
representing some 225 towns, were filed with metal clips of 
different colors showing the different kinds of service avail- 
able under the headings Agriculture, Americanization, Child 
Welfare, Community Singing, Education, Food Conserva- 
tion, Liberty Loan, Health, Red Cross and Allied Relief, 
Social and Recreational Service and Miscellaneous. Long 
lists of workers were furnished from these cards to the Red 
Cross for use in its various departments of civilian relief, 
and for canteen workers at home and abroad ; to the Bureau 
of Immigration for its work in Americanization; to the 
Committees responsible for the United War Work Campaign 
and the Liberty Loans; to the Farm and Garden Associa- 
tion; to the Child Welfare Committee; to the Committee 
on Community Singing; and to Mrs. Wheeler's Committee 
on Retail Food Prices. In addition, lists of college graduates 
willing to undertake the required training or already trained 
as nurses, and of psychiatric social workers and recon- 
struction aides, were placed in the hands of officials directly 
concerned. 

Altogether, during the year and a half of its existence, the 

292 



Department of Education distributed to its local chainnen, 
to public and private schools outside of Boston, to public 
libraries, and to many organizations and individuals, printed 
matter consisting of 34,150 copies of circular letters, ques- 
tionnaires and cards. These included pamphlets on "Appeal 
to the Patriotism of Students," "Patriotism," "Patriotism 
and Internationalism in the Great War," "Government's 
War Information Series," "Suggestive Outline for Study," 
"Truth Teller," "Intercollegiate War Emergency Record," 
explanatory cards, etc. Much of this literature was printed 
by the Committee on Public Safety. 

Propaganda for a potato campaign was issued in April, 
1918, by Mrs. Donald of the Committee on Food Conserva- 
tion to the local chairmen of the Education Department, 
and through their co-operation was widely used in the public 
schools of the State. 

The Executive Committee of the Department of Educa- 
tion assumed nearly all the expenses incident to its activities. 



293 



CHAPTER VIII 
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN INDUSTRY 

Mrs. William A. Troy, Chairman. 
Mrs. George T. Rice, Vice-Chair man. 
Miss Veronica A. Lynch, Secretary. 



Miss Mary Donovan. 
Miss Mabel Gillespie. 
Miss Mary A. Mahoney, 



INIiss Mary Meehan. 
Miss Mary E. Wiggin. 



The National Committee on Women in Industry, with 
affiHated State branches, was created by Mr. Samuel 
Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, as 
part of his Committee on Labor advisory to the Council of 
National Defense. The Massachusetts division also became 
a component part of the Massachusetts Woman's Com- 
mittee, of which Mrs. Thayer was chairman. 

The purpose of the Committee on Women in Industry 
was to safeguard the welfare of women workers and minor 
children; to maintain the industrial standards established 
for their benefit; and to concern itself with the conserva- 
tion of their health and industrial interests. 

The task proved twofold, — it was necessary to urge the 
entrance of women into industry as its man power decreased ; 
and it was likewise essential to prevent, so far as possible, 
the exploitation of women under the guise of war necessity. 

To accomplish its duties the Committee maintained a 
close relationship with State and civic bodies which had 
already been engaged in advancing and protecting the wel- 
fare of the worker. 

As part of the national organizations, the Massachusetts 
Committee operated to maintain, under the following heads, 
certain standards to govern the employment of women in 
industry, which were endorsed by tlie War Labor Policies 
Board : — 

294 



Hours of labor. 

Daily hours. 

Half holiday on Saturday. 

One day of rest in seven. 

Time for meals. 

Rest periods. 

Night work. 

Equality with men's wages. 

The basis of determination of wages. 

Comfort and sanitation. 



Posture at work. 
Safety. 

Conditions needing correction. 
Prohibited occupations. 
Uniforms. 
Home work. 

Employment management. 
Co-operation of workers in enforce- 
ment of standards. 
Co-operation with official agencies. 



Through the medium of the press and addresses deKvered 
before pubHc and private gatherings by the chairman and 
vice-chairman of the Committee, dihgent effort was made 
to bring the rules adopted for each standard to the attention 
of employers and the public in general. 

After the formation of the Massachusetts Committee, the 
first work that came to hand was an investigation into the 
employment of girls as messengers. It was disclosed that 
cases existed where girls under eighteen years of age were 
engaged in carrying messages during the daylight hours. In 
order to prevent the general employment of young girls in 
this capacity, the Committee obtained a ruling from the 
State Board of Labor and Industries prohibiting the employ- 
ment of female minors as messengers. 

Through the efforts of the Committee, the Building 
Managers' Association determined to send representatives 
to meet those of the women employed as office building 
cleaners before the Massachusetts Minimum Wage Com- 
mission, in order to reach a wage agreement. 

One of the first occupations in which women took the 
place of men soon after the United States declared war was 
the elevator service. This work was easy to learn, and 
although its scale of wages had never been high, substitu- 
tion was not difficult. The then existing labor laws of the 
State did not limit the working hours of women thus em- 
ployed in hotels and office buildings. To meet this deficiency, 
a bill was drafted by the Committee to include women 



295 



elevator operators under the provisions of the fifty-four-hour 
law. The bill became a law on May 12, 1918, chapter 147, 
General Acts. 

The increase of women in industrial occupations necessi- 
tated, in the opinion of the Committee, an addition to the 
number of inspectors employed by the State Board of Labor 
and Industries. A special message was sent by the Gov- 
ernor to the Legislature in regard to the advisability of 
appointing additional inspectors, and the chairman of the 
Committee appeared before the legislative committee on 
public service, urging the passage of a bill filed for that 
purpose. As a result of this hearing, five additional inspectors 
were granted to the State Board of Labor and Industry. 

In conformity with one of the principles set forth in the 
standards of employment advised by the Committee, at a 
hearing before the Committee on Social Welfare the Com- 
mittee recorded itself in favor of a forty-eight-hour week 
for women and minors. 

In company with representatives of the Massachusetts 
War Efficiency Board, the chairman of the Committee made 
a trip through the State, so as to express to county farm 
agents and members of the local Public Safety Committees 
the government's ideas relative to releasing men of farm 
ex|3erience in mercantile and industrial establishments, 
especially at planting and harvest times. Particular stress 
was laid on the fact that in order to secure greater food pro- 
duction it would always be better to retain men of experi- 
ence, rather than to attempt to train women or inexperienced 
men in farm duties. 

In some cases it was explained that lighter farm work 
could be done by women, but it was urged that all heavy work 
should be done by men, as women are physically unfitted to 
perform heavy farm labor. 

In order to fill places made vacant in industrial establish- 
ments by releasing labor for farm work, it was suggested 
that, whenever feasible, processes of manufacture be adjusted 
so as to make the substitution of women possible. 

296 



The Committee also collected data for exhibits concerning 
women in indnstry, to be displayed at State and county 
fairs. In these exhibits the Committee advocated a system 
whereby the attention of women was called to various indus- 
trial occupations existing in the Commonwealth, together 
with the hours of labor, wages paid, where employment 
might be secured, and other necessary information of similar 
character. In addition, the prominent dis])lay of the adopted 
standards relative to the employment of women workers 
was requested as part of these exhibits. 

A recommendation was made by the chairman of the 
Committee to the Massachusetts Community Labor Board, 
urging that the employment of female labor might also come 
under the Board's official control, as otherwise the purpose for 
which community labor boards were formed would be 
defeated. 

Miss Veronica A. Lynch spent ten days in Washington 
obtaining data and a plan to assist the United States Bureau 
of Labor Statistics to -compile a description of the character 
of employment in rubber manufacturing, sugar refining, 
machine building and the manufacture of soap, — all Massa- 
chusetts industries, or closely related thereto. The object 
of this special inquiry was to facilitate, where most needed, 
a proper and equitable distribution of the labor supply 
through the employment service of the United States 
government. 

Because of the increasing number of women having small 
children who became wage earners during the war, the 
Committee deemed it expedient to direct attention to an 
intensive study of the day nursery problem. Miss Lynch 
and Miss Grace M. Caldwell were appointed a special com- 
mittee to conduct an investigation of the day nurseries of 
the State. Their preliminary findings, as based on condi- 
tions found in the nurseries visited between August 21 and 
September 24, 1918, — at which time they were obliged to 
suspend the investigation on account of the influenza 
epidemic, — showed that four of these nurseries were closed 

297 



for the summer, four were combined nurseries and homes, 

— witli the home the biggest factor in three, — and in 
three of them the matrons said there was some doubt as to 
their operating as nurseries in 1919. 

The investigation covered a period of about two and one- 
half weeks, during which twenty -nine out of the fifty nurseries 
in the State were visited. After a general summing up of 
the conditions found in twenty-one of these nurseries, the 
special committee submitted for consideration the following 
outstanding facts : — 

In fourteen of the nurseries factory work was the pre- 
dominating occupation of the mothers. In two the principal 
occupation was general day work, cleaning, etc." In five the 
occupations were about equally divided between factory and 
day work. 

Necessity seemed to be the principal reason for these 
mothers taking up work, and most of them were deserted 
wives or widows. In comparatively few instances was the 
reason given that the husband had- entered the service. 
Many applications were being made at the nurseries by 
mothers who desired to work because they were attracted 
by the high wages. This was particularly true of women 
who were entering the employment field for the first time. 

Location. — In regard to the location of the nurseries, it 
was noticed that the majority of them were located at a 
considerable distance from the principal industries. For 
instance, in one city it was found that the committee operat- 
ing the day nursery had just purchased a fine, single-family, 
wooden house in an exceptionally good residential district, 

— an ideal location for the nursery, but entirely remote from 
the district in which the largest industries were located. In 
this instance the nursery was at one end of the city and the 
industrial section at the other. 

Statistics. — It was found to be almost impossible to 
gather satisfactory statistics. This was true in practically 
all of the nurseries. There were no medical or family records, 
and very incomplete records of attendance. In one nursery, 

298 



just as the investigators were about to leave, a man came to 
the front door to call for his little girl to take her home. He 
did not speak very good English, and it was difficult for him 
to make the matron understand just which little girl was 
his. It was not very hard for the investigators to appreciate 
the matron's position, when she said that a strange little 
girl had come to the nursery that morning with some other 
children, and she had not taken her name, but supposed 
she must be the child called for. Here was a child admitted 
without any medical inspection, with no investigation into 
her home conditions, and with not even her name asked 
when she was brought to the nursery by other children. 

Fire Protection. — In most of the nurseries the fire pro- 
tection was good. 

Toilet Facilities. — Nearly all of the nurseries had adequate 
toilet facilities, though not all were in good condition. A 
few were absolutely unfit for use. Some were in good re- 
pair, but poorly ventilated and not clean. In one nursery, 
where toilet facilities of the newest and most up-to-date type 
had but lately been installed, a very bad odor was apparent. 

Medical — Hygienic Conditions. — The medical inspection 
proved to be inadequate. Many of the nurseries did not 
require a medical certificate before admission. Very few 
had daily medical inspection. In many the doctor did not 
come unless called. Only three had trained nurses. Two 
had partially trained, or so-called "practical," nurses. Six 
were without isolation rooms or other means of caring for 
children suffering from contagious diseases. 

Very few provided individual face cloths, towels, tooth- 
brushes or combs, and in some instances, where individual 
towels were provided, they were hung so close together that 
they ceased to be "individual." 

In far too many dry sweeping was employed as a method 
of cleaning. 

Nineteen took in infants one year of age or under. 

Diet. — Copies of the diet sheet were taken wherever 
possible, and in most of the nurseries there appeared to be 

299 



a real efiFort made to provide proper and suitable diet for 
the children. 

The milk supply was good, sonic milk being given in all 
but two nurseries. One bad feature, however, seemed to be 
that whenever condensed milk was given to infants by the 
mothers, the same practice was carried out at the nursery. 
The matrons made very little attem])t to improve on the 
ignorance of the mothers. 

After a careful consideration of the foregoing facts, it 
would seem that the inefficiencies of the nurseries were due 
princii)ally to a lack of co-operation between boards of 
management and matrons; to a paucity of funds to run 
adequately; and to want of training on the part of the 
matrons. 

In view of other measures before the Legislature, looking 
to the reorganization and consolidation of various State 
departments, the Committee deemed it inexpedient to 
petition for legislation affecting the operation of day nurseries 
in the State. 



300 



CHAPTER IX 
COMMITTEE ON PUBLICITY 

Mrs. Frederick E. Dowling, Chairman. 
Miss Grace M. Burt. 

Late in October, 1917, Mrs. Thayer called a meeting of 
the newspaper women of Boston, together with representa- 
tives from the "Brockton Times," "Salem News," "New 
Bedford Standard," "Springfield Republican," "Worcester 
Telegram," "Lynn Item," "Newton Graphic," and the 
press department of the State Federation of Women's Clubs. 
The outcome of this gathering was a permanent Publicity 
Committee, each member of which was pledged to further by 
every means possible the work of the Massachusetts Woman's 
Division, Council of National Defense. This promise was 
amply fulfilled during the succeeding year and a half. 

As the members of this conference were all dependent on 
their work for a livelihood, the question of securing a volun- 
teer who would be at the State House every day, in order to 
keep closely in touch with the trend of events, became 
somewhat of a problem. This situation was overcome when 
the State Federation of Women's Clubs lent the services of 
Mrs. Dowling, who was joined by another member of the 
Federation, Miss Burt of the "Newton Graphic." Both of 
these ladies gave two days of each week to the work, and 
together constituted the Committee. As a result, on the 
first Monday in November, 1917, the Women's Publicity 
Committee was installed, with desk room in Mrs. Thayer's 
offices. 

The first work of the Committee was a circular letter to 
each of the 135 weekly newspapers in the State, asking for 
donations of space. Of these, about 40 per cent at once 
answered in the affirmative, and many more eventually 
came into line; so that before the midsummer of 1918 news- 

301 



letters setting forth the more urgent work of the Council 
were given every Thursday to all the weeklies in Massa- 
chusetts. The State House News Service was the medium 
through which most of the semiweekly suburban and Boston 
daily papers were reached, and gave excellent service. 

Late in December of 1917 the "Boston Advertiser- 
American," through Miss W. M. Jerdone, sent word that 
the columns of its Sunday and daily editions were at the 
disposal of the Committee. This gave an opportunity to 
put into practice a hope which Mrs. Thayer had entertained 
of having an allotted space in some Boston Sunday paper, 
where the more important matters of each sub-committee of 
the Committee on Public Safety, women's committees of the 
Council of National Defense, State Food Administration, 
State Home Economics Department, and Fuel Administration 
might be placed before the public under the signature of 
the heads of the various Committees. The "Advertiser- 
American " welcomed this suggestion, and a plan was mapped 
out for a half page insertion in the next issue, Sunday, 
July 13, 1918. All subsequent issues were arranged and 
edited by Mrs. Dowling, as chairman. 

As the work developed, it became evident that a State- 
wide publicity organization was needed to secure an out- 
let in the country weeklies for the great mass of news 
matter received daily from Washington. Mrs. Thayer 
authorized the Committee to communicate with the women 
county food administrators, and to ask for suggestions as 
to the choice of county publicity chairmen. These, when 
appointed, in turn chose assistants in every town where a 
paper was published, thereby obtaining a local and a wide- 
spread personal interest towards securing publicity for 
important projects. The plan proved of great value a little 
later in obtaining full publicity during the great drive for 
nurses, the purpose of which was to recruit 2,000 women for 
the hospital training schools. It called, however, for stren- 
uous effort at a time when world-thrilling news coming from 
the European war front crowded all else from the newspapers, 

302 



the size of whose editions had been reduced by government 
orders ; yet the Pubheity Committee secured sixteen different 
notices, varying in length from a "stick" or two to a cohimn 
in length. Two paid front page advertisements in the 
"Herald" and "Transcript," and another in the Chamber of 
Commerce "Current Events," were found necessary, but 
these, with certain car posters, constituted the only expense 
incurred by the Committee, outside of postage. Both the 
"Boston Post" and the "Transcript" gave editorial space, 
and the country weeklies did good work in reaching the 
more remote districts. Mr. Herbert Carl, New England 
director of the Associated Press, put out excellent stories. 
Fifteen hundred posters, reading "Join the United States 
Nurse Reserve, Recruiting Office, Massachusetts General 
Hospital," were displayed upon electric cars in Greater 
Boston. Posters, furnished from Washington, were placed 
in all railroad stations throughout the Commonwealth, in 
many of the large department stores and in restaurants. 
Slides, telling of the drive and of the quota that Massa- 
chusetts was asked to furnish, were displayed each night 
upon the screen at the Food Administration cottages on the 
Common. These slides were also exhibited in many of the 
moving-picture houses in the State. 

A wheatless food demonstration car was established, 
which was the medium of disseminating much information 
on food matters. The car was on exhibition for several days 
in Post Office Square, and, upon permission being given by 
the Committee, was greeted by a battery of photographers 
the morning of its first arrival. Unfortunately, the demon- 
stration assigned for that day to the kitchen installed upon 
the front platform was not on hand. The photographers 
insisted that only "working" pictures would be acceptable 
to the city editors, and that "action" was absolutely neces- 
sary. Fearing the loss of so much good advertising if their 
request was not fulfilled, Mrs.. Dowling donned cap and 
apron, hastily fashioned from paper toweling, and imperson- 
ated the demonstrator at work among the kitchen utensils, 

303 



with complete success. The electrotypes of these pictures, 
as well as the negatives, were given by the papers making 
them, and were used many times afterward in advertising 
the coming of the car in the various suburban districts, 
while the Western Newspaper Union gave out a description 
story in advance. 

The Publicity Department was willing at all times to 
secure every possible space for other women's organizations 
engaged in conservation or any type of war work. Among 
the outside interests served were the Liberty Bread Shop, 
the Women's National Farm and Garden Association, the 
Women's Land Army, the Lowthorpe School of Agriculture 
and Farm Management for Women, and the Retail Stores 
Clearing House, the latter a branch of the United States 
employment service. 

Upon request of Mr. Michael M. Davis of the Boston 
Dispensary, the chairman of the Committee reviewed his 
publication entitled, ""Food Supply in Families of Limited 
Means," and also secured for it six newspaper notices, in 
addition to a column story with seven coliunn flare-head 
in the "Boston American," written by a member of its 
staff. Mr. Davis's book was the outcome of a survey made 
by him of 200 families having small incomes, and the relation 
of the food actually consumed and the food purchased by 
them in one week. This revealed some amazing facts in 
the matter of thrift. It also demonstrated specifically how 
for the same amount of money, better expended, more nourish- 
ing food could have been procured. The pamphlet had the 
endorsement of the Food Administration, and was considered 
to be of much value to social workers during the war. The 
publicity secured for it by the Committee created a demand 
for copies that soon exhausted the edition. 

Many hours each week were spent in studying the exchange 
literature from other States, and selecting what might prove 
effective for use in Massachusetts. The bulky news-letters 
that came almost daily from all departments of the Council 
at Washington had also to be carefully read, and excerpts 

304 



prepared for publication in the State press. This task was 
probably the most tedious duty of the Committee. 

Articles descriptive of the formation and functions of the 
Woman's Division, Council of National Defense, were sup- 
plied to the bi-monthly publication of the League for Pre- 
ventive Work upon request, and reports of all unusual war 
work in Massachusetts were furnished frequently to the 
Creel Bureau, the Washington News Bureau of which Miss 
Ida Tarbell was in charge, the Russell Sage Foundation, 
and several of the well-known magazines. 

What proved of special value as a means of promoting 
food conservation was a set of model menus of church suppers 
and socials, with accompanying recipes issued by the Com- 
mittee. These were printed in many of the religious publica- 
tions of the State. These menus were the work of Mrs. 
Harriet L. K. Darling, attached to the Home Economics 
Department of the State Council. Articles on home eco- 
nomics were also written by the chairman and printed by 
the "Boston Herald." The work of the Committee often 
extended far outside the State, when requests for help 
demanded it. For example, a call came from the Michigan 
State College to furnish a collection of all publications regu- 
larly used by the Publicity Committee, for exhibit at the 
Farmers' Week Festival in that State. In response, copies 
of the "Sunday Advertiser" half page, the weekly news- 
letter, and the Food Administration bulletins were forwarded. 

The last but not the least of the activities of this Com- 
mittee were the many interviews arranged, or refused, for 
Boston newspapers with the chairman of the Council, Mrs. 
Thayer, or with the vice-chairman, Mrs. Gurney. It was 
always, however, a matter of personal gratification to the 
Committee that at all times the pleasantest relations existed 
between the Council and the press. Fair, intelligent and 
courteous treatment was given every statement issued by 
the Committee, and the space allowed was quite as generous 
as conditions permitted. 



305 



Part V 



MASSACHUSETTS FOOD ADMINISTRATION 

CHAPTER I 

Personnel and Introduction 

Federal and State Food Administrator for Massachusetts 
Henry B. Endicott. 

Assistant Food Administrators 
A. C. Ratsliesky. 
James J. Phelan. 
Later appointed : — 
Z. C. Dickinson. 
H. C. Everett, Jr. 
R. M. Everett. 
A. A. Kidder. 
Edward Wigglesworth. 
John D. Willard. 

Federal Home Econoviics Director for Massachusetts 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 

Board of Food Administration 
Henry B, Endicott, Chairman. 

A. C. Ratshesky, V ice-Chairman. 
Philip R. Allen. 

Kenyon L. Butterfield. 

B. Preston Clark. 
Z. C. Dickinson. 
Mrs. Malcolm Donald. 
George H. Ellis. 
Warren C. Jewett. 

A. Lawrence Lowell. 
Matthew Luce. 
George H. Lyman. 
Mrs. Samuel W. McCall. 
George W. Mitton. 

306 



J. Frank O'Hare. 
James J. Phelan. 
James H. Ropes. 
Joseph B. Russell. 
Paul J. Sachs. 
John F. Stevens. 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer. 
Mrs. W. M. Wheeler. 
John D. Wniard. 
Robert Winsor. 

General Officers 
Edmund W. Longley, Treasurer. 
John D. Willard, Secretary. 
James H. Ropes, Assistant Secretary. 
Z. C. Dickinson, Assistant Secretary. 
Matthew Luce, Assistant Secretary. 
Arthur A. Kidder, Manager of Offices and Personnel. 
W. A. L. Bazeley, Former Manager of Offices and Personnel (in Service). 
Levi H. Greenwood, Former Manager of Offices and Personnel (in Service). 
Thomas J. Moore, Secretary to Mr. H. B. Endicott and Manager of Ex- 
ecutive Office. 

The history of the Massachusetts Food Administration 
should begin with the work of the Food Production Com- 
mittee of the Massachusetts Committee on Pubhc Safety. 
During the latter part of February, 1917, at the suggestion 
of the Executive Committee, a voluntary Committee on 
Food Production and Conservation was organized, which 
included in its membership leaders of agricultural and edu- 
cational organizations in the State. On March 3 this Com- 
mittee became a sub-committee of the Committee on Public 
Safety, and worked as such up to the time of the organiza- 
tion of the Massachusetts Food Administration, and there- 
after in conjunction with and as a part thereof. Through 
its activities, provisions concerning food supply were included 
in the Commonwealth Defence Act of May 26, 1917 (chapter 
324, General Acts of 1917). 

As previously stated, on July 11 Mr. Hoover requested 
Mr. Endicott to act as his representative in Massachusetts, 

307 



which was followed by his official appointment immediately 
upon the passage of the Federal Food Control Act, August 
10, 1917. On July 11 Governor McCall appointed him 
State Food Administrator for Massachusetts. 

On July 18 Mr. Endicott named a Board of Food Adminis- 
tration, largely recruited from the ranks of the Committee 
on Public Safety. The membership of the Board was so 
selected that it gave representation to the widest possible 
range of interests, — banking, manufacturing, mercantile, 
labor, professional and education, — including representa- 
tives of various races and religious denominations. Every 
effort was made to provide for the most complete preliminary 
consideration of problems, in anticipation of their effect on 
all the people of the State. 

The authority of the Commonwealth Defence Act with 
reference to food supply, and the powers of the Federal 
Food Control Act of 1917, were both vested in Mr. Endicott; 
and by reason of this dual authority the powers of the Food 
Administrator in Massachusetts were ample to meet all 
needs, and were greater than those exercised by similar 
officials in many other States. 

One of Mr. Endicott's first steps was to recommend to 
Mr. Hoover the appointment of Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer as 
home economics director for Massachusetts, thus continuing 
the work which she had developed as State chairman of the 
Woman's Council of National Defense, and also the work 
which had its inception in the Women's Committee on 
Food Conservation under Dean Sarah Louise Arnold, this 
latter Committee having been appointed by the Committee 
on Food Production in March, 1917. 

During the early days of the war, food production 
diminished alarmingly because of the diversion of land, men, 
horses and material from agricultural pin-suits to warfare. 
It has always been a phenomenon of war that its advent is 
immediately followed by a diminution of food production. 
Peculiarly, in modern warfare, the same materials which 
normally enter into the manufacture of implements and 

308 



fertilizers are in great demand for war equipment and muni- 
tions. Moreover, the ploughman and the plough horse 
have always been regarded as basic material for army 
building. 

Owing to the comparative elasticity of our use of food, 
and to the fact that the United States is always a food 
exporting Nation, the pressure of diminishing food supply 
was not immediately manifested in the United States by 
actual shortage of commodities, but was clearly indicated 
by the sharp rise in prices caused through frantic buying in 
our markets by the allied powers. When it became evident 
that the United States was destined to enter the war, the 
possibility of world famine became apparent to the American 
people, and it was soon evident that the combined food 
stocks of allied countries must be pooled to meet allied 
needs. An inventory of the world food stocks showed a 
dangerous shortage. The carry-over of wheat in the United 
States from the yields of 1916 had indeed provided not only 
all supplies necessary for domestic use, but a large exportable 
surplus. On the other hand, the short wheat yield of 1917 
left little exportable surplus at the precise period when the 
armies and civil population of Europe were making the 
greatest demands. 

Although prices of foods in the United States had not 
advanced by any means as they had in the countries actually 
at war, the momentum of upward movement was increasing. 
The governments of the world were paying for their pur- 
chases in the American cereal markets, first with gold, then 
with securities, and finally with credit extended to them 
from banking sources in the United States. After our entry 
into the war, government loans still further enabled the 
allied countries to come into our markets and bid for supplies 
with credit furnished by our government. This resulted in 
so great an advance in the price of wheat that in May, 
1917, operations in futures on the Chicago Board of Trade 
were stopped. Wheat had reached the unheard-of price of 
$3.28 per bushel. 

309 



Early in the year 1917 Mr. Hoover had been recalled from 
Europe to advise the President and Congress in matters of 
food supply. A bill providing for food control was intro- 
duced and was before Congress for consideration in ]May. 
For various reasons the passage of this bill was delayed 
until August 10; but in the meantime Mr. Hoover was re- 
quested by the President to go as far as possible in the 
preparation of an organization which should be ready for 
activity as soon as the Food Control Act became law. 

The Food Administration was charged by this act with a 
variety of duties. It was to regulate exports so that ade- 
quate sui)i)lies should be left in this country for the use of 
our own population ; to arrange for an equitable distribution 
of food supplies within the United States, so that all sections 
should have food stocks adequate for the people's needs; to 
check speculation and profiteering activities, in order that' 
such supplies as were available might reach the consumer at 
as low cost as possible; and to effect prevention of waste, 
and actual conservation of stocks, so that sufficient supplies 
of exportable foods should be available for the feeding of 
our own armies abroad, for the armies and civilian popula- 
tion of allied countries, and for the relief of stricken people 
in the war zone. The Department of Agriculture was charged 
with the task of planning for the stimulation of production, 
so that in succeeding seasons production of essential com- 
modities should be adequate to war-time needs. 

The problem confronting New England was more difficult 
than that of other parts of the country because of the rela- 
tively small food production compared with food consump- 
tion, and also on account of the remoteness of New England 
from the large sources of supply, and its dependence on 
overburdened transportation systems. Altogether, New 
England was in a critical situation with regard to her food 
supply, and problems of provisioning became very intricate. 
The Atlantic seaboard, and particidarly the northern ports, 
furnished the outlet for war supjilies moving toward Europe. 
The main railway lines were compelled to give preference to 

310 



such export commodities. The enormous growth of indus- 
tries manufacturing war materials added a further burden 
to the railways. The very condition of the New England 
transportation systems was of itself a menace, as the chief 
railways were in a state of virtual bankruptcy, and neither 
funds nor actual supplies were available for rehabilitation. 
The extreme winter of 1917-18 imposed the severest task of 
recent years on all transportation systems. Added to this, 
the withdrawal of coastwise shipping for government uses 
threw upon the rail systems the burden of an enormous 
tonnage normally moving by water. 

From the first the policy of both State and Federal Food 
Administrations was to accomplish the utmost possible by 
gaining voluntary co-operation of the entire people, especially 
of the food handling trades. Mr. Hoover early announced 
his opposition to rationing and to police control of conserva- 
tion, contending that even in Germany with its huge police 
system such rationing had not been successful, while in 
allied countries the success of conservation had been in- 
versely proportioned to the amount of police interference. 
He further expressed the belief that the rationing of house- 
holds was inconsistent with the habits of thought and with 
the ideals of the American people, and that therefore every 
effort should be made to secure a voluntary rationing by the 
people themselves. Though this was by far the more difficult 
course from the standpoint of governmental effort, Mr. 
Hoover's judgment was completely vindicated by the results. 
At no point, even in the most intense shortage of sugar, did 
the Food Administration establish any legally effective 
•system of rationing for householders ; and in the case of 
both sugar and wheat substitutes, the selfish disregard of 
Food Administration requests, shown by a few, was much 
more than offset by the voluntary efforts of that great ma- 
jority who went well beyond the requested measures, and 
brought about a total saving far greater than would have 
been possible by a mechanical rationing program. 

With regard to the food handling trades, Mr. Hoover's 

311 



principle was to secure the data concerning available stocks 
and requirements necessary to formulate programs, and 
then, as far as possible, to leave actual administration in the 
hands of the trades. Here, again, he felt that to secure the 
voluntary co-operation of the majority of grocers, bakers 
and managers of eating places would accomplish more than 
a rigorously enforced system of policing. As time passed, 
the moral support, iiot only of consumers but also of the 
great majority of the food handling trades, was achieved. 
Such measures of prosecution as were necessary to protect 
those who honestly co-operated from the unfair competition 
of those who selfishly disregarded regulations met with 
general approval. 

In matters both of production and of distribution the 
economic doctrine of the Federal Administration was clear. 
Men will not continue to produce, or to perform the functions 
of distribution, unless by so doing they not only recover 
actual costs, but receive a fair return on their efforts. In 
all contracts for supplies and for construction work the 
government recognized the principle of adequate return to 
those with whom it contracted. This same policy was 
carried over into the food production and distribution pro- 
grams, and guaranteed prices on wheat and hogs secured 
the desired results in the form of increased production of 
these commodities. Likewise, in the food distribution 
trades it was held that the only way to secure results was to 
permit the usual handlers of food to take reasonable and 
equitable profits for the services which they performed. On 
the other hand, the intent of the Food Administration was 
equally clear cut with regard to profiteering and speculation.' 
Speculation in the necessaries of life is doubly reprehensible 
in war time. Petty profiteering in peace time is limited, 
because the buyer usually has an opportunity to trade with 
competing establishments where prices are more reasonable. 
In war time, and with a very much higher level of prices, it 
becomes a distinct menace. To control these evils the 
Food Control Act made possible the licensing of dealers, 

312 



and the licensing power was speedily brought, into play. 
All rules and regulations concerning trade were formulated 
by the Federal Food Administration on a national basis, 
with such regional modifications as were necessary. The 
function of the State Administration was to make these 
rules effective, and to be the medium of information as well 
as the enforcing agent. 

Far more important than the regulatory functions were 
those of education and publicity. It was the belief of all 
concerned in Federal and State Food Administration work 
that if the people of the United States were once given the 
facts, together with suggestions for meeting the emergency, 
their response would be prompt and adequate. Particularly 
in IMassachusetts, to give such information in effective form 
was no small task. With a dense and complex poj^ulation, 
much of which reads no newspaper in English, and part of 
which is absolutely illiterate, every possible device became 
necessary to give the true picture of conditions in Europe, 
and to present the program of the Food Administration in 
such compelling form that compliance would be ready and 
willing. 

While neither phase of the work would have been successful 
without the other, it is not unlikely that the educational 
and appeal work by itself would have accomplished more 
than the regulatory work alone. As the program was de- 
veloped, the two phases went hand in hand, and by securing 
the voluntary compliance of consumers and handlers of 
food, the regulatory work was reduced to a minimum. 

In both Federal and State Food Administrations every 
effort was made to avoid the evils of bureaucracy. The 
administrators, on whom responsibility rested, were in all 
cases volunteers recruited from the most capable men of 
the entire Nation. Men of large and engrossing business 
affairs dropped their work and devoted their whole time to 
national problems, with the result that in a remarkably 
short period a coherent and effective governmental depart- 
ment was built up, with connections reaching from the 

313 



Capitol at Washington to the utmost hniits of the Nation. 
This entire system was noticeably free from the deadening 
mechanical influence of hired service, and the spirit of 
intense application and unstinted effort was manifested all 
along the line, from the Chief of the Administration to the 
clerks in Alaska and Hawaii. The authority granted to the 
Food Administration was sweeping, and was justifiable only 
as a war emergency. Because of this fact, it was from the 
first the intent of the Food Administration to withdraw 
from its activities as soon as its necessary work was done. 
While Mr. Hoover saw clearly the necessity of continuing 
food conservation during the period immediately following 
the war, he early expressed the belief that restrictions and 
regulations should be abolished even before peace was 
finally concluded, and such operations as continued should 
be restricted to appeal for voluntary co-operation. It is 
significant that the Food Administration dwindled to very 
small proportions immediately after the signing of the 
armistice, and only such functions were continued as seemed 
necessary for the protection of the people against the grosser 
forms of profiteering and speculation. 

The staff of the Massachusetts Food Administration was 
at its largest during the fall of 1918. Both the central oflfice 
and the county offices were overcrowded, and the largest 
corps of volunteers as well as paid workers were in service 
during this period. The armistice was quickly followed by 
the dissolution of the sugar staff. From that time the 
entire force diminished rapidly. On January 1, 1919, but 
34 were left on the pay roll, and on January 31 announce- 
ment was made through the press that the work of the 
office was closed. It was remarkable, and a source of great 
satisfaction, that so complete an organization could dis- 
appear so quickly, and tliat the members of the staff so 
speedily become absorbed again in peace-time pursuits. On 
the other hand, it was admira})le that, after a period of such 
stringent regulation, business could return to normal con- 
ditions with so little upset and disturbance. 

314 



Some of the activities of the Food Administration were 
continuous, some recurrent, some seasonal, and others of 
such a nature as to present themselves but once and then 
disappear. It seems unwise to relate the story of the Food 
Administration in strict chronological sequence. The at- 
tempt is rather to record the activities of different committees 
and divisions, and to comment on various other matters 
which were taken up by individuals or by groups without 
assignment to any regular division. The organization grew, 
by the appointment of committees, up to September, 1917. 
From that time an attempt was made to follow the divisional 
organization of the Federal Food Administration, so that 
matters might move through similar channels both in the 
State and in the Federal office, and that contacts with the 
Federal divisions might be definite and complete. 

The writer embraces this opportunity of expressing his 
obligation to Prof. James H. Ropes and to Mr. John D. 
Willard for their help in compiling the data of the Food 
Administration. Because of Mr. Ropes's great familiarity 
with the general scope and detail of the activities of the 
Committee on Public Safety, his courteous assistance, 
readily given in all matters, has been of the greatest value. 



315 



CHAPTER II 

FINANCES AND ORGANIZATION 

A. Finances 

Wlien the work of the Food Administration first developed, 
Mr. Endicott approached the Governor and Council on the 
question of accepting Federal aid. It was decided, however, 
that inasmuch as Massachusetts had thus far paid her own 
bills, it would be better to continue this practice, at least for 
a time. Federal aid, therefore, was not accepted until the 
very great expansion of the work made necessary a larger 
staff and much greater outlay. 

In March, 1918, arrangements were made whereby many 
of the central staff employees were placed on the Federal 
pay roll. After July 1 it was arranged that for the fiscal 
year July 1, 1918, to June 30, 1919, the sum of $35,000 
should be available from Federal sources for the expenses 
of the central office, and $36,000 for the county offices. 

From May, 1918, when orders came for the licensing of 
manufacturers using sugar, to the close of the sugar control 
work, the bills incurred by the Sugar Division were paid 
from funds of the United States Sugar Equalization Board, 
and were not charged against the allotment already made 
for the Food Administration. The same was true of the 
work of the Food Administration Grain Corporation in 
purchasing wheat substitutes in New England. 

To summarize the division of expense, the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts contributed the use of office quarters, and, 
through the Committee on Public Safety, all of the expenses 
of the Food Administration up to April 1, 1918. From 
that time on the State contributed, in addition to rent, a 
total of approximately $150,000; and the Federal govern- 
ment about $75,000, including payments in behalf of the 
Sugar Equalization Board and the Grain Corporation. 

316 



County oflfices were as a rule given rent free, and the greater 
part of the service was rendered by unpaid volunteers. 

The contribution of both time and money by individuals 
connected with the Food Administration can never be com- 
puted in dollars and cents. Several of the volunteer workers 
paid for their own clerical assistance, and numberless inci- 
dental bills were met from private pockets. Many persons 
on State, county and city staffs refused to submit expense 
accounts covering their necessary telephone tolls, traveling 
expenses, printing supplies and the like. In some cases 
these accounts amounted to thousands of dollars. 



B. County Food Administration Division 

Philip R. Allen, Chairman of County Administrators. 
Matthew Luce, Secretary of County Administrators. 
John D. Willard, County Information. 
Ellen K. Jones, Clerk. 

County Food Administrators 
Barnstable, Eben S. S. Keith. 
Berkshire, Frederick G. Crane. 
Bristol, William M. Levering. 
Dukes, William J. Look, 
Essex, James C. Poor. 
Franklin, John W. Haigis. 

Hampden, Horace A. Moses and Theodore W. Leete. 
Hampshire, W. M. Purrington. 
Middlesex, J. Howell Crosby. 
Nantucket, Arthur H. Gardner. 
Norfolk, Fred B. Rice. 
Plymouth, C. P. Holland. 
Suffolk, P. A. O'Connell. 
Worcester, L. H. Buckley. 

Women County Food Administrators 
Barnstable, Miss Elsie Trabue. 
Berkshire, Dr. Mary Anna Wood. 
Bristol, Mrs. Charles H. L. Delano. 
Dukes, Mrs. Norman Johnson. 
Essex, Mrs. Richard S. Russell. 



317 



Franklin, Mrs. John "Wilson. 

Hampden, Mrs. W. C. Dwight and Mrs. A. C. Button. 

Hampshire, Mrs. Clifton Johnson. 

Middlesex, Mrs. George Minot Baker.^ 

Norfolk, Mrs. Eugene Endicott. 

Plymouth, Mrs. J. Harry Poole. 

Sufifolk, Miss Mary A. Barr. 

Worcester, Miss Helen Heywood. 

Assistant County Food Administrators 
Barnstable, H. V. Lawrence. 
Berkshire, Frank H. Cande and James O'Brien. 
Bristol, Merle T. Barker. 
Essex, Albert P. Hubbard. 

Middlesex, Charles Burnham and Edward Fisher. 
Plymouth, W. L. Bragg. 
Suffolk, W. H. Binnian. 
Worcester, Albert E. Jewell and Ernest S. Reid. 

During the first months of the Food Administration work 
proper, it did not appear necessary to extend organization 
throughout the State. Messages which required pubHcity 
were sent broadcast through the channels of the Food Pro- 
duction and Food Conservation Committees, and the local 
Committees on Public Safety. The press responded gener- 
ously with space. With the formulation of a more definite 
program in September and October, 1917, and particularly 
when the licensing of handlers of foods greatly increased 
contact with local dealers, it became plain that local centers 
were needed. 

The first home-card campaign brought up the problem of 
delivering a message to every householder of the State. 
The experience of the Food Production Committee had shown 
the use of county committees, to which the responsibility 
for town committees could be delegated. Plans for district 
or county administrators were already under way when, 
somewhat later, suggestions came from Washington con- 
cerning county organization, especially called out by the 
needs of western States, where the county, rather than the 
township, is the natural unit. 

318 



The chief problem was the choice of the county adminis- 
trators. As finally selected, the administrator in nearly 
every county was a banker or business man already interested 
in promoting farm bureau work. In but one county did 
any conflict arise between production and administration 
groups, and here the difficulty was speedily overcome. In 
only three instances was the appointment declined by the 
person first approached, and in each of these cases with 
sincere regret. 

The county administrators were first brought together 
early in 1918, and their responsibilities outlined. They were 
to employ such assistance as they needed, hire offices if 
necessary, and otherwise equip themselves to represent the 
Food Administration in their respective counties. In some 
counties volunteer assistants were given the immediate 
management of the office, leaving a general supervision to 
the administrator. Nearly all counties had a staff of stenog- 
raphers, clerks and inspectors, greatly varying in size in the 
different localities. 

It soon became evident to the county administrators that 
they in turn must decentralize their work. In cities with 
over 100,000 population, af city administrator appointed by 
the county administrator became responsible for many 
matters. Most of the county administrators appointed 
deputies for each town and city, and upon these much re- 
sponsibility devolved. In some instances, notably in Berk- 
shire, deputies were appointed to cover districts consisting 
of several towns. 

It was the task of the local administrators to see that rules 
were enforced, that educational material was distributed, 
that offenders were warned, and, if possible, persuaded to 
obey regulations, and that persistent offenders were sum- 
moned before the county administration. The county 
administrators were the court of appeal for the town adminis- 
trators. Some of them sat as trial judges, putting offenders 
on probation, placing cases on file, or referring them to the 
State House for further hearing if the oft'ense was serious 

319 



and prosecution necessary. The largest practicable measure 
of responsibility was put on them. 

Wide divergence of practice would have developed between 
the counties had it not been for the attendance by adminis- 
trators, at weekly (later bi-weekly) meetings of the Board 
of Food Administration. In consequence of their participa- 
tion, these gatherings, instead of being meetings for executive 
business, came to be a forum for the discussion of problems, 
and a means of conveying information and requests to 
county groups. 

With the dissolution of the Sugar Division, the chief 
troubles of the county administrators ceased, and early in 
December, 1918, orders were given to disband all county 
staffs so that all county expenses should cease by January 
1, 1919. 

The county officers made possible direct access to a respon- 
sible source of information for householders having inquiries 
and complaints, as well as direct and prompt dealing with 
handlers of food. 

Some divergence between the practices of counties was 
discovered, varying conditions prevailing in different parts 
of the State. Much of the worlPof issuing permits for the 
feeding of wheat to poultry, for the milling of Massachusetts 
grown wheat, for disposing of stocks of feedstuff s accumu- 
lating through diminished demand, and for the purchase of 
sugar for canning purposes, was left in the hands of the 
county administrator. One large piece of work in all county 
offices was the supervision of wheat substitutes and sugar 
distribution. 

The regular correspondence and personal consultation 
with the county administrators took much time and thought 
at the State House. By the method finally worked out as 
being the most satisfactory, county letters on all subjects 
were addressed to a single secretary, who was responsible 
for getting the inquiries promptly answered by the depart- 
mental officer in question. 

At the time the county administrators were appointed, 

320 



women county administrators were also assigned for house- 
hold conservation work under the leadership of Mrs. Thayer. 
The results of their work Were varied and important. Can- 
ning kitchens and like devices were arranged with the aid of 
the home demonstration agents of the farm bureaus and the 
Agricultural College. The knowledge and judgment of the 
women administrators was invaluable. It was later notice- 
able that in counties where the women's food work had 
made most progress, greater assistance was more immediately 
available in meeting the needs of the influenza epidemic, and 
food centers and canning kitchens were readily converted 
into supply depots for stricken families. 

Without the services of the county administrators the 
functions of the Food Administration would have been 
seriously hampered. 

Nor can too much credit be given to the many volunteer 
workers in counties, cities and towns, who made effective 
plans arranged in the Federal and State ofiices which de- 
pended for success on the support of the whole body of 
citizens. 

C. Zone No. 1 Organization 

A. C. Ratshesky, Assistant Food Administrator for Massachusetts, 

Chairman. 
W. L. Putnam, Secretary. 

H. B. Endicott, Federal Food Administrator for Massachusetts. 
Frank H. Brooks, Federal Food Administrator for Vermont. 
Huntley Spaulding, Federal Food Administrator for New Hampshire. 
Dr. Leon B. Merrill, Federal Food Administrator for Maine. 
Alfred Coats, Federal Food Administrator for Rhode Island. 

Recognizing the similarity of problems confronting the 
New England States, and the necessity for close co-operation, 
Mr. Endicott called a conference of New England Food 
Administrators in September, 1917. This conference was 
not for the purpose of initiating particular measures so much 
as to establish a mutual acquaintance with the various 
problems of the administrators in the different States. 

321 



During the spring of 1918 it seemed desirable to organize 
the various States into groups, and in June, 1918, Mr. 
Hoover created in New England a Food Administration 
zone similar to the Grain Corporation zones which had been 
established for some time. Precedent for the creation of a 
food zone in New England had been furnished by the forma- 
tion and effective work of the Federal Milk Commission for 
New England. All the New England States, excepting 
Connecticut, comprised the first food zone, and consisted of 
the Food Administrators of the States constituting that 
zone, of a representative of the Grain Corporation, and also 
of the Food Administration, in Washington. 

At the first meeting, July, 1918, the plans of the Milling 
Division and Grain Corporation for distribution of grain and 
substitutes were exj^lained. The systems for local distribu- 
tion of flour in use in the different States of the zone were 
discussed, and also the method of handling flour, Indian corn 
meal and other grains coming from the local mills. The 
question of sugar was also discussed, particularly with refer- 
ence to preserving and the ways it was being handled in 
different States. The various New England States agreed 
that milling regulations applying to corn and wheat in New 
England would work great injustice to the farmers, and, by 
concert of action, the Federal regulations were quietly dis- 
regarded in order that wheat grown in the zone might find 
its way to human consumption rather than be fed to animals. 
This meeting was of great service in giving the State Food 
Administrators an opportunity to receive full explanations 
of the plans of the Food Administration at Washington and 
also of the Grain Corporation, and in showing the local 
needs; also in giving the administrators an opportunity to 
get together and exchange ideas as to the best way to carry 
out the policies inaugurated by IVIr. Hoover. It likewise 
tended to avoid unnecessary differences between adjoining 
States, and, where local conditions required that there should 
be a divergence of opinion, it gave opportunity to discuss 
the reasons for the same so that harmony might prevail. 

322 



A regular meeting day was fixed for the third Monday in 
each month. A second meeting was held in August, 1918, 
and a third meeting in October. The September meeting 
was given up because of the fact that the administrators had 
recently come to Washington at the call of Mr. Hoover, 
and the November meeting was abandoned because of the 
signing of the armistice. 

At the August and October meetings the sugar question 
was the most important matter discussed. Representatives 
of the Sugar Division of the Food Administration at Wash- 
ington attended these gatherings. The problem of obtaining 
supplies for New England during the winter months, and 
the necessity of accumulating sufficient food stocks in 
December to carry through the winter, thus avoiding the 
transportation difficulties of the preceding year, were brought 
to the attention of the Washington representatives, and 
their aid and suggestions sought. 

Other matters to come before the zone for consideration 
were the various changes in wheat substitute percentages; 
the clean-up of wheat substitutes left on dealers' hands by 
changes in the percentages; the reasonable profits which 
might be allowed on staple groceries; and various questions 
relating to the storage of supplies. 

Mr. Robert S. Scoville, Food Administrator for Connect- 
icut, and the administrators of adjoining States were always 
invited to attend the meetings of Zone No. 1, and were 
occasionally present. Similarly, Mr. Endicott was invited 
to meetings of Zone No. 2 in New York, which he was 
unable to personally attend, but was represented by Mr. 
Putnam. These latter meetings were similar to those held 
in Zone No. 1, and Mr. Putnam was able to report to Mr. 
Endicott many interesting ideas and suggestions brought 
out at the meetings. 



323 



CHAPTER III 

PRODUCTION 
(a) Committee on Food Production 

Immediately after the organization of the Committee on 
PubHc Safety, there had been organized, as previously 
stated, under President Kenyon L. Butterfield of the Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural College, a group to arrange for meet- 
ing food supply problems. This Food Production and Con- 
servation Committee became a part of the Committee on 
Public Safety on March 3, 1917, and with its various proj- 
ects was transferred to the Food Administration in July. 
It continued work until the armistice was signed, and was 
dissolved on December 20, 1918. Its functions therefore 
embraced two phases: first, as a constituent committee of 
the Committee on Public Safety, and later, with the same 
chairman and a somewhat enlarged membership, as a com- 
mittee of the Food Administration. The activity of the 
committee, however, was in the main continuous, and must 
be described by topics without attempting complete dis- 
tinction between the two periods. 

The personnel of the Committee included representatives 
of the State Board of Agriculture, Massachusetts Agricul- 
tural College, county farm bureaus. United States Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Boston Chamber of Commerce Agri- 
cultural Committee, State Board of Education, Society for 
the Promotion of Agriculture, Grange Homestead Commis- 
sion and various producers; also representatives of distribu- 
tors' and consumers' agencies. (See list of Preparatory 
Committees, Appendix, page 539.) From the first it was felt 
that the Committee should act primarily as a co-ordinating 
agency, using all existing machinery and making new organi- 
zations only where work could not be done by those already 
in the field. The co-operation of the various bodies repre- 

324 



sented in the Committee was immediate and cordial. The 
Agricultural College was at once mobilized for war service, 
and the teaching staff organized into committees to which 
definite problems were assigned. Courses were quickly 
arranged which would train upper class men for work as 
supervisors and as special demonstrators. The farm bureaus 
placed their staffs at the disposal of the Committee, and it 
was decided that these organizations furnished, on the whole, 
the best means of approach to the public. 

The first great task was that of publicity. Few realized 
the immensity of the food problem and the swiftness with 
which it would become real in the United States. To bring 
this to the attention of the public many agencies were needed. 
The Committee recruited a staff of speakers. Meetings and 
rallies were planned for all parts of the State. A weekly 
news-letter was issued from the State House, giving publicity 
and reporting the plans of the various town committees. A 
technical news-letter was also sent frequently from the 
Agricultural College, offering advice and suggestions for 
problems of the moment. For the first few months a pub- 
licity man was borrowed from the department of journalism 
of the Agricultural College, and much material was thereby 
furnished to the daily and weekly press. Several bulletins 
on the technical subjects of gardening, poultry raising, 
preservation of products, etc., were prepared by specialists 
at the college. The farm bureaus issued special bulletins, 
in some cases translated into many foreign languages. The 
American Woolen Company found that its employees repre- 
sented twenty-six different tongues, and gardening bulletins 
were translated into most of these. Posters and fliers were 
used. By various methods public interest was gained, so 
that within a month the greater part of the State was 
reached. 

In carrying out this policy the staff at the State House 
became overwhelmed with daily calls for information and 
assistance, and the county farm bureaus and county agri- 
cultural schools were at once requested to organize county 

325 



food production committees, which should be representative 
of all forces that might assist in the production or conserva- 
tion of food. These committees were usually appointed after 
a county mass meeting to which all were invited, and were 
organized in all counties of the State except Suffolk, Dukes 
and Nantucket. 

The county food committees in their turn were requested 
to organize food production and conservation committees in 
every city and town. By the end of April committees were 
active in 334 of the cities and towns in Massachusetts, and 
other towns were represented in regional committees. It 
was while this movement was in progress that the Committee 
on Public Safety, as hereinbefore related, decided to organize 
sub-committees in the cities and towns throughout the State. 
This caused momentary confusion, but before long the city 
and town committees on food production became sub-com- 
mittees of the city and town Committees on Public Safety, 
just as the Massachusetts Committee on Food Production 
was a sub-committee of the Massachusetts Committee on 
Public Safety. 

Following this program food production rallies were ar- 
ranged for all parts of the State, first in county rallies, then 
locally for the cities and towns. Wherever possible existing 
permanent agencies, such as boards of trade, school com- 
mittees, granges, clubs and churches, were made use of. 
A food program for Massachusetts was published in March. 
The outline was as follows : — 

Detailed Plan of Work. 

I. Farm production. 
Plan. 

1. Urge production of staples, particularly corn, beans, cattle,, 
swine, poultry and farm gardens. 
Method. 

1. Locate supplies, seeds, plants, fertilizers, animals, etc. 

2. Locate supply of farm labor. 

3. Inventory needs of towns, also resources (land, labor, etc.).. 

4. Discourage slaughter of calves and dairy cows. 

326, 



II. Boys' and girls' gardens. 
Plan. 

1. To encourage boys and girls to contribute to the support of 

families. 

2. To utilize vacant lots for gardens. 
Method. 

1. Fiu-nish printed information and directions (varieties, plant- 

ing, etc.). Many college boards, boards of agriculture, and 
United States Department of Agriculture bulletins are 
available. 

2. Get banks and boards of trade to finance supplies (seeds, fer- 

tilizers, pigs, poultry, etc.). 

3. Get towns and cities to provide supervision. 

4. Promote larger club projects where possible (larger acreage of 

corn, potatoes, etc.). 
Note. — Adequate supervision is most essential. 

III. Family gardens for adults. 

Plan. 

1. To encourage families to have gardens. 

2. To utUize vacant lots. 
Method. 

1. Get industrial concerns to provide land for operatives. 

2. Get municipalities to provide land for residents. 

3. Provide printed information. 

4. Get banks to assist. 

Note. — It is recommended that a single system of supervision 
cover both juvenile and adult garden activities. 

IV. Home conservation of foods. 

V. Economic distribution of food supplies. 

With reference to home conservation of foods, the Women's 
Committee on Household Conservation was organized under 
Dean Sarah Louise Arnold of Simmons College as chairman. 

This Committee issued material on the need and wise 
methods of household conservation of foods, and examined 
and gave its public approval to bulletins prepared by other 
agencies. It also organized local Women's Food Conserva- 
tion Committees in 330 cities and towns of the Common- 
wealth, being 83 per cent of a possible total. Before the 
work had gone far the Woman's Council of National De- 
fense organized a Massachusetts branch under the chair- 

327 



manship of Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer, who was a member of 
the Committee on Household Conservation; and as part 
of the program of the Council of National Defense, a Food 
Committee was called for in every city and town. This 
again caused some confusion, but in the majority of cases 
existing women's committees on conservation were merged 
with the Council of National Defense Committees, thus 
furnishing an excellent basis for work when Mrs. Thayer 
was appointed home economics director by Mr. Hoover as 
Federal Food Administrator. It is worthy of note that the 
Women's Committee on Conservation had a program for 
food thrift in operation before the Federal program of the 
Council of Defense was published, and several months in 
advance of the home economics work undertaken by the 
Federal Food Administration. 

The campaign for the production of food was hardly under 
way before a committee was assigned to the task of making 
out a more detailed program for food distribution. In con- 
junction with the department of economics of the Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural College, a careful outline was prepared, 
and in April, 1917, the committee was definitely at work 
on problems of distribution. The proposed program, which 
later furnished the basis for the first few months' work of 
the Food Administration, follows : — 



A Program for Food Distribution and Investigation in 
Massachusetts, May, 1917 

Presented by the Massachusetts Committee on Pul)lic Safety, Sub-Committee on 
Food Production and Conservation 

The distribution of such food products as are shipped into Massachu- 
setts, togetlier with the few farm products that are shipped out, are matters 
of interstate commerce. As a general princii)le of aihiiinistration, tlie dis- 
tribution of local produce may well be placed in the liands of city directors 
of markets, county marketing advisors, supervised by the Committee on 
Public Safety, and existing State institutions. Matters with reference to 
transportation of produce entering into interstate commerce should largely 
be in the hands of a food administrator appointed by llie linited States 
government. 

328 



Administration 

1. The Massachusetts Committee on Pubhc Safety will assume direction 

of the emergency distribution program. It will work in the 
fullest co-operation with — 

(a) The State Board of Agriculture. 

(b) The Massachusetts Agricultural College. 

(c) County farm Inireaus. 

(d) United States Department of Agriculture. 

(e) Chambers of commerce and boards of trade. 
(/) Committees of Public Safety. 

(g) Producers', distributors' and consumers' associations. 
{h) Other existing agencies for similar purposes. 

They will urge the appointment of — • 

2. County market advisors in county farm bureaus. 

3. City directors of markets and market news bureaus in the large Massa- 

chusetts cities. 



Information 

1. Establish a State Bureau of Market Information to act as a clearing 

house for all sorts of market news and information concerning 
markets. There are two distinct functions: — ■ 

(a) A market news service, carrying an appropriation of $500 per 
month. 

{b) Marketing assistance and direct information to producers and dis- 
tributors in Massachusetts, carrying an appropriation of $500 
per month. 

This is a verj- important project, and should begin immediately. 

2. Take a census of agricultural production, including acreage and crops 

of 1916 and 1917, animals and animal products raised and sold 
in 1916 and 1917, supplies needed, and inventories of food and 
feed supplies on hand. 

This project should be in charge of the Committee on Public Safety, 
but can be made in co-operation with the county farm bureaus and 
boards of trade on blanks prepared by the Food Committee. The Food 
Committee should assist in financing the project. 

Not only the census of farm products, but the city garden census, 
should be made on luiiform l)lanks furnished by the Committee on Public 
Safety. 

It is imperative that the data from this census be adequate and uni- 
form, since they must be used by the Committee on Public Safety for 

329 



making plans for distributing the crop of 1917, and for planning a food 
production campaign for 1918. 

A survey has already been made in the three western counties, and is 
now being made under the direction of the Worcester County Food Com- 
mittee. The project, however, may be delayed until Federal plans are 
known, but it should be undertaken before October, in order that the 
Committee on Public Safety may lay its plans for conserving the harvest 
of this year, and plan next year's program. The necessary appropriation 
for assisting in this project is $12,000. 

3. Make an inventory of the normal food and feed consumption, including 

stocks of food and feed on hand now and under normal condi- 
tions, the source and quantity of food shipped into Massachu- 
setts, the quantity of food and feed locally produced, and the 
seasons and quantities of consumption. This inventory may be 
made by the county farm bureaus or by boards of trade in larger 
cities. The blanks and the direction of the survey should be in 
the hands of the Food Committee, and tabulations made under 
their supervision. 

Co-operation with the Board of Agriculture and the Federal govern- 
ment is very desirable. This project may be delayed until the Federal 
plans are made known, but it can well be begun at once in such counties 
as are readj^ to finance it. 

4. Take a census of food storages and foods in storage, both farm and 

commercial, including — 

(a) The capacity of the storage and the available stocks on hand. 

(b) Monthly reports of stocks of food in storage. This is being made, 

and can well be taken care of, by the State Board of Agriculture. 
The statistics should be available in great detail to all cities and 
towns. 

5. Make a monthly inventory of crop acreage and conditions, with yields 

and available supply of crops as they mature, including espe- 
cially local crops, but also crops outside of Massachusetts which 
are sold here. 

This project may be carried out by the State Board of Agriculture co- 
operating with the United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of 
Crop Estimates, and with the county farm bureaus. This project should 
be undertaken at once and carried out through the season. The Com- 
mittee on Public Safety should appropriate $'200 per month for its 
execution. 



330 



Organization 

6. Organize farmers' exchanges in local producing centers for the purpose 

of — 
(a) Securing market information. 
(6) Sorting, grading and preparing products for market. 

(c) Storing and selling. 

(d) Constructing storages, warehouses, distributing plants, possibly 

canneries, dryers, packing plants. 

(e) Purchasing supplies, machinery, equipment, etc. 

Propaganda and information should be furnished by the Committee 
on Public Safety co-operating with the xlgricultural College, the work or 
organization to be largely in the hands of county farm bureaus and 
farmers' co-operative exchanges. 

Propaganda and organization work should be begun at once. 

7. Organize a campaign for the local utilization and consumption of 

locally produced material wherever possible, including adver- 
tising, local exchanges and the like. 

8. Organize city and farm market places, particularly for the use of 

amateur growers and children who wish to dispose of ungraded 
and irregular lots of produce. 

Encourage the organization of groups of neighboring consumers who 
desire to buy directly from producers. 

Propaganda and publicity work by the Committee on Food Supply. 
Organization work to be carried out by city directors of markets and 
county farm bureaus. 

9. Encourage the use of future contracts for farm products, either for 

immediate consumption or storage supplies for bona fide trade. 
These contracts are chiefly available between wholesalers, re- 
tailers and local producers. 

An appropriation of $4,000 is necessary to cover projects 6, 7, 8 and 9. 
This work should begin immediately. 

10. Co-operate with the National Food Administration, the United States 

Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural College, State Board 
of Agriculture, county farm bureaus, committees of public 
safety and other agencies, to facilitate the distribution of farm 
products, eliminate waste, prevent gluts, famines and exorbitant 
prices. 

Note. — The Committee on Public Safety should take charge of this 
program, co-operating with existing agencies, official and otherwise, until 



331 



sucli time as there is appointed a State Food Administrator or a Federal 
Food Director for the State of Massachusetts. Thereafter the Committee 
stands ready to co-operate with the new agency, to give up any part of 
the work to tliat agency, or to give over the work in its entirety if the 
United States government or the State of Massacliusetts so decrees. 



Farm versus Household Gardens. — We now return to the 
several topics of the food ]:)rogram relating to production. 

The Food Production Connnittee felt from the first that 
the largest results in food production could be secured from 
professional farmers. In many counties an inventory of 
land, labor, seed, fertilizer and machinery was made. This 
inventory was not wholly satisfactory, but in the counties 
where it was most carefidly done it proved of value, and 
clearly showed the desirability of a regidar annual inventory 
of the agricultural resources of the State. 

In February, 1919, a bill came before the Legislature pro- 
viding for a part of this work as a joint j^roject of the De- 
partment of Agricidture, the Tax Commissioner and the 
Federal Bureau of Crop Estimates, but was never made law. 

Land for Farming Crops. — For farm purposes land was 
available in great plenty. Farmers were urged to devote 
their materials and labor to their l^est land, and it was 
pointed out that clearing of iniimproved land resources 
should rather be used where the greatest production woidd 
result. 

Seed. — A siu'vey of the seed situation in 1917 showed a 
shortage of seed beans and very high prices for seed potatoes. 
The Committee ])rovided for adequate stocks of seed beans, 
and made arrangements with houses in Boston to provide 
seed potatoes at $3.25 per bushel, $1.50 less than prevailing 
prices. In this alone upwards of $50,000 was saved to 
farmers and gardeners in the State. 

In the spring of 1917 the Committee, which in general 
discouraged the planting of potatoes except by those sure of 
a market, found it necessary to safeguard the sujjply of 
potato seed for family gardens and regular potato growers 

332 



by urging the public not to eat potatoes until after planting 
time. 

In 1918, under a threatened shortage of seed corn due to 
low geniiination of seed stocks injured by early frost, arrange- 
ments were made with six Boston seed houses, and adequate 
stocks made available for the supply of all. 

Fertilizers. — In 1917 little could be done in the matter 
of . fertilizer supply except to hasten delivery of stocks of 
commercial fertilizers already purchased and in transit, but 
greatly delayed by the congestion of traffic incident to the 
movement of war material. Here the Committee's work 
had good results. In addition, through the county agri- 
cultural agents, farmers were urged to more careful con- 
servation and a wiser use of farm manures. 

Prices of fertilizers were investigated in 1918, and the Food 
Administration stood ready to prosecute any dealers found 
to be profiteering. Such action, however, proved unneces- 
sary, and no cases of excessive profit were discovered where 
prosecution seemed called for. 

Labor. — The immediate demand of farmers, when asked 
to increase production, was for labor. War industries were 
at the time competing in all labor markets, and wages were 
advancing beyond the amount which fanners dared to pay. 
The first effort, therefore, was to promote the growing of 
such crops as required fewest hands. 

To increase the body of laborers, the Committee on Public 
Safety organized the Committee for Mobilization of School 
Boys for Farm Service, — a detailed account of whose activi- 
ties has already been given in Part III, Chapter III, — and 
in promoting this was able to use many of the same agencies 
which the Food Production Committee had found useful. 

Manufacturers also lent their aid, and many agreed to 
release men from their factories in order to help neighboring ' 
farmers when the deficit in labor supply was at its height. 
In Worcester County this assistance was most marked, the 
farm bureau presenting to the manufacturers a carefully 
worked-out schedule of the number of hours needed each 

333 



week, the location of the fanners asking for help, and the 
transportation facilities for carrying the men to and from 
their work. 

The Massachusetts Agricultural College lent to the Com- 
mittee a specialist in labor, who opened a registration office 
for general farm help. To secure the necessary contact with 
farmers, branch offices were opened with the farm bureaus 
in nearly all the counties. Every effort was made to supply 
local labor needs from local labor supply, and to send men 
from county to county, or from Boston to the western part 
of the State, only where imperatively demanded. By this 
system over a thousand men were placed on farms during 
the season. 

During 1918 a different plan was followed. The Depart- 
ment of Labor and the United States Employment Service 
took over the matter of soliciting farm labor, and from the 
central 'registration office the names of men available as 
farm help from each county were sent to the county agri- 
cultural agents. Little was accomplished, however, for when 
the actual demand for labor came the men who had regis- 
tered were unwilling to go to farms except for wages far 
beyond the ability of the farmer to pay. The chief result, 
but an important one, was to disprove the claim that an 
abundance of labor was available for farm work. 

Plans were considered during the summer of 1918 for joint 
efforts by the United States Department of Agriculture and 
the Food Administration, with a view to meeting labor needs 
for the harvest of 1918, and for the season of 1919. Massa- 
chusetts was in much worse condition than the northern 
New England States, since the war industries were near 
enough to make attractive proposals to all competent men 
who could be detached from the farms. Many reports came, 
indeed, of idleness and unemployment, but the usual type 
of unemployed men was^ the habitual loafer, unreliable for 
farm work, and unwilling to stay if by chance he reached 
the farm. One of the best dairymen of the Commonwealth, 
a member of the Food Production Committee, reported that 

33-1. 



for several months his superintendent had to spend much 
time recruiting labor from the barrooms of the city, with 
the certainty that the men hired would not remain and would 
prove unsatisfactory while on the fann; yet this was the 
only supply available. Some loss of food products and of 
forage crops resulted from inability to get hands when crops 
were all ready for harvest. The quality of hay was injured 
by standing too long. A further circumstance causing loss 
was the unusually early maturing of fruits and vegetables, 
so that the harvest season arrived from one to three weeks 
before it was expected. As emergency labor could not be 
secured, quantities of fniit and produce went into storage in 
poor condition, and much complaint was heard that waste in 
storage was far greater than usual. 

Syndicate Farming. — In some cases groups of business 
men and manufacturers contributed to the food supply by 
employing professional farmers to grow extra crops. Manu- 
facturers and business men of Northampton employed a 
local farmer to raise 100 acres of additional crops in the 
Northampton meadows, the business men hiring land and 
providing supplies for the purpose. In some cases factories 
established factory farms in order that supplies for their 
help might be produced near at hand. While the products 
of these efforts were relatively small, the efforts themselves 
showed clearly the general patriotic interest and purpose. 

Boys' and Girls' Gardens. — About the value of boys' and 
girls' garden production many were skeptical, and prophesied 
that fertilizers, seed, land and labor would be wasted without 
any proportionate return. Those, however, who had 
watched the development of boys' and girls' agricultural 
and home economics clubs were convinced that a great 
increase in food production might be made by this means. 
The work was supervised by the State leader of junior 
extension work at the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 
who had previously been responsible for such developments. 
City and town committees, county farm bureaus, agricultural 
schools, granges and many other agencies fell in with the 

iS5 



program of juvenile gardening, with the result that over 
100,000 boys and girls were registered. From some of these 
gardens the product was relatively slight; in other cases the 
value of food output ran into hundreds of dollars. Prof. 
George L. Farley of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 
State leader of boys' and girls' club work, reported $6.54,- 
441.56 as his estimate of the value of food production by 
children, and it should be remembered that these crops 
were raised on the spot by the ultimate consumers. 

Important, also, was the canning and preserving which 
went hqjid in hand with the boys' and girls' garden work. 
A surprising number of householders have never appreciated 
the possibilities of preserving the surplus above their im- 
mediate family needs. The influence of past efforts of the 
Agricultural College and farm bureaus in teaching the possi- 
bilities of canning and drying made possible the preservation 
of virtually the entire surplus of the boys' and girls' gardens, 
and gave excellent foundation for more extended work by 
adults. During 1918 the Food Administration provided still 
more assistance for the college and the farm bureaus, which 
in a measure accounts for the better results from the efforts 
of the club members during that year. 

In 1918 the total number of gardens was somewhat in- 
creased, and the quality and size of gardens substantially 
improved. With the advanced price of garden produce the 
output value was materially greater. 

As a stimulus to interest, many city and town committees 
arranged garden exhibits in the autumn, and some of these 
communities had in this way their first experience in dis- 
covering their agricultural resources. The number of such 
exhibits was greater in 1917 than in 1918, because in the 
latter year the influenza epidemic made public gatherings 
unwise. The experience of such county fairs as held their 
exhibits before the epidemic became widespread showed 
distinct advance in quality over the exhibits of the previous 
year. 

The moral value of the boys' and girls' gardens in im- 

336 



pressing the urgency of national crisis on the whole public 
was an element not easily overestimated. 

Family Gardens for Adults. — Much care was given to 
organizing a campaign for increased gardening by house- 
holders. City and town committees were requested to solicit 
land of those who had surplus, and apportion it to those 
who had none. Many committees undertook to plough 
gardens at a nominal charge, and to provide seed, fertilizers, 
insecticides and fungicides at cost. Many clever and success- 
ful devices were arranged by the committees. In the town 
of Concord, for instance, a supply of knapsack hand sprayers 
was purchased, and these were rented to household gardeners 
at a nominal fee, a solution being prepared by the town 
supervisors and furnished by the gallon, ready mixed at cost. 
In the tow^n of Framingham gardens were so arranged that 
all the potatoes of all the gardeners were planted in con- 
tinuous rows for easy cultivation and for machine spraying. 
The town spraying apparatus was used, and the costs were 
charged 'pro rata to the individual gardeners. Those who 
had previously cultivated gardens added to their area if 
possible, and greatly increased their efforts. Many who 
had never before planted a seed became enthusiastic horti- 
culturists. The appearance of gardens in all manner of 
unheard-of places, and in great numbers, gave early evidence 
of the success of the campaign. 

The Committee felt, however, that such huge beginnings 
would lead to equally huge failures unless provision were 
made for careful assistance and follow-up work. Therefore, 
every town of any size was urged to provide paid supervision. 
The State Board of Education offered to co-operate with 
the school committees of towns by providing teachers of 
agriculture. In other cities and towns the school committee, 
without formality, assigned a competent teacher to this 
work. In still others the Committee on Public Safety or 
the Food Production Committee provided emergency funds 
for such supervision as seemed necessary. Losses through 
ill-advised gardens were materially decreased by these efforts, 

337 



and many, who would undoubtedly have failed, were en- 
abled to score a substantial success. The Committee further 
urged cities and towns to use every means to discourage 
gardeners from undertaking work on undesirable land, or in 
locations where the product might be destroyed by subse- 
quent building or use of land for other purposes. 

In April, 1917, the Committee endorsed and urged the 
passage of a daylight-saving law; and later, when this be- 
came effective, much time was available for gardening which 
otherwise would have been lost. 

In the season of 1918, in view of the widespread interest 
created the previous year, it was considered unnecessary to 
give much publicity to garden work; in fact, more was 
produced in gardens that year than in 1917. 

The value of the household garden became increasingly 
evident, not only with respect to the food which it con- 
tributed to the maintenance of the family, but perhaps still 
more from the provision which it made for wholesome 
exercise and interest. 

Much opposition to the household garden work developed 
in 1918 from the market gardeners, who felt that the increase 
in household production had seriously affected the market 
for commercially raised produce. It was the opinion, how- 
ever, of those connected with the market gardeners' experi- 
ment station, with the farm bureaus of eastern Massachu- 
setts, and with the Agricultural College that the increased 
consumption of vegetables had more than offset the in- 
creased production by householders. The fact seems to be 
that commercial production had overtaken normal con- 
sumption; and if the war had not come, bringing abnormal 
consumption and abnormal household gardening, the same 
glutting of markets would still have resulted. 

A further factor in the situation, of no small account, is 
the increase in the use of motor trucks. Producers in the 
Providence neighborhood reached out into the Massachusetts 
markets in 1918, and brought in volumes of produce from 
farms which previously were not in competition with Massa- 
chusetts growers. 

338 



Factory Gardens. — Early in the season of 1917 request 
was made to groups of manufacturers that they provide 
gardening opportunities for their employees, and many large 
firms responded generously. The Committee urged that 
whatever was done should not be in the nature of philan- 
thropy, but that land leased by the factory should be sublet 
to individual gardeners at actual cost. The ploughing and 
harrowing might well be done by the company, but should 
be charged to the gardeners at cost; the same principle was 
advised in the matter of fertilizers, seeds and insecticides. 

Some striking results were achieved in the case of the 
American Woolen Company. At some 50 different mills, 
520 acres were brought under cultivation ; and the operatives 
of this company produced over 45,000 bushels of potatoes, 
many thousand bushels of other root crops, and 40,000 ears 
of sweet corn, in addition to the usual more perishable 
summer vegetables. The project was still more carefully 
developed in 1918 by the Norton Company in Worcester, 
which perhaps has set a standard for permanent work of 
this kind. It must also be recorded that some corporations, 
under poor advice, made bad failures, one Plymouth County 
firm losing over $15,000 in a single season. 

The Food Production Committee urged that the factories 
provide adequate supervision and assistance to amateur 
gardeners. Some firms employed trained supervisors; others, 
by canvass of their forces, found among them men who were 
successful gardeners, and who could be allowed time to in- 
struct and assist their fellow workers. 

A special committee was appointed to further this project 
in 1918, with the result that for the season 211 factory 
gardens were reported, with a total of 1,621 acres and 17,380 
individual plots. This demonstration of what can be done 
is now being used as a basis for further planning; and it is 
recognized by many manufacturers that such provision for 
their employees is of great value, not only in contributing 
to the support of families, but in its bearing on permanence 
of occupation and on contentment of mind. That the cost 
of living in New England is greater than elsewhere puts at 

339 



a distinct disadvantage manufacturers who must produce 
in competition with sections of the country where wage 
schedules are lower. The garden may prove a considerable 
element in offsetting this disadvantage. Plans now being 
considered may become the starting point of organization 
of the New England Farm and Food Foundation, which 
hopes to do much in years to come toward making permanent 
the work which was begun during the war emergency. 

At the final meeting of the Food Production Committee 
it was estimated that upwards of half a million gardens had 
been stimulated by the various agencies concerned, and that 
the value of their products, all told, ran into millions of dollars. 

Protection for Gardens. — After the campaign for increased 
gardening, complaints were soon heard of depredations, 
both juvenile and adult. Co-operating with the Probation 
Commission and various juvenile agencies, a committee was 
formed to undertake a campaign for protection of gardens. 
"No trespass" signs were furnished from the Department of 
Agriculture; and a different type was issued by the Food 
Production Committee, rather appealing to patriotic instinct 
than threatening jjunishment. It is gratifying to record that 
through the latter part of the season of 1917 and through 
the year 1918 very few reports of damage came to the 
Committee; on the contrary, many city and town com- 
mittees reported that by the co-operation of police judges 
and departments their communities had been remarkably 
free from this type of misdemeanor. 

Credit Problem. — Complaint was made by farmers early 
in the season of 1917 that credit was not adequate to pro- 
vide for increased production. In meeting this complaint 
the experience of the Plymouth County Trust Company and 
other banks in the distinctly agricultural sections was taken 
as a basis for publicity work. A bulletin was prepared and 
circulated to all banks urging that liberal credit be given to 
farmers who wished to increase production. The county 
agricultural agents were in many cases asked to pass upon 
the projects of the various applicants, and less demand was 

340 



discovered for additional credit than had been anticipated. 
In one of the western counties the county agricultural agent 
reported that to only one application had he refused en- 
dorsement; and the president of the bank which handled 
the larger portion of this business reported at the close of 
the year that, with one exception, all notes had been paid. 
From a western Massachusetts town of less than 300 inhabit- 
ants, 11 farmers came to this bank and signed a joint note 
for the amount of their total requirements. This loan was 
entirely paid by the beginning of the next season, and the 
bank had made business connection with several new clients. 
The districts in which it was difficult to secure credit were, 
for the greater part, not distinctly agricultural sections, but 
had become largely devoted to estates and to suburban 
residences. 

The Committee failed to hear reports of any cases where 
permanent losses were sustained by banks through the ex- 
tension of emergency credit. 

Crop U ndenvriting . — Appeal for production had hardly 
been made before the farmers of the Commonwealth com- 
plained that the government was guaranteeing manufac- 
turers and producers of war materials against loss, but was 
asking farmers to increase production without any such 
guarantee, and without certainty that the market would be 
adequate to take the produce. Several schemes to take 
care of the increased produce were developed. In Hampshire 
County a so-called 50-50 plan was worked out. Business 
men and manufacturers established a fund from which seeds 
and insecticides were provided for certain specific crops, 
primarily potatoes. A preliminary census of the county 
showed that the greater quantity of potatoes therein con- 
sumed was imported from distant sources, and an attempt 
was made to provide the consumers within the county from 
local sources. The plan resulted in some increased produc- 
tion, but, like many others, was valuable chiefly in stimu- 
lating interest. 

The Worcester County Farm Bureau initiated a move- 

341 



ment among business men of the County for the establish- 
ment of a guarantee insurance fund, to be held as a reserve 
in order that cost of production might be repaid to all who 
would contract to grow certain staple crops. As the season 
advanced it seemed best to agree upon an arbitrary price 
per unit for the crops, and this was done. At the close of 
the season but one claim was presented, and for a total of 
about $12. In view of the security given to producers, and 
the resulting increase of production, the guarantors felt that 
the movement had been well worth while. 

A somewhat similar movement was undertaken in Plym- 
outh County in 1918 by the Rotary Club, which raised a 
guarantee fund of $200,000 for the purpose of insuring re- 
covery of cost of potatoes and corn. This was amply covered 
by the acreage offered for contract, since the experience of 

1917 was here repeated, namely, that farmers were not as 
anxious to contract as early complaints might have led the 
guarantors to believe. 

In Middlesex County a plan was originated by which 
consumers agreed to contract with farmers for the purchase 
of potatoes and beans at not less than a stated minimum 
price, and in addition pledged themselves to pay the Boston 
market price if it exceeded the minimum. This plan was 
developed further by the Associated Industries of Massa- 
chusetts, In various parts of the State manufacturing cor- 
porations offered to contract for the requirements of their 
employees. It is significant that in this case, also, it was 
difficult to place contracts, farmers believing that they could 
do better by taking their chances in the open market. In 

1918 the Bristol County Independent Agricultural School 
developed a plan to stimulate the growing of corn for milling 
for human consumption. Various grocers and millers con- 
tracted with farmers to take the crop at a specified price. 
Here, again, farmers preferred to take their chances and 
sell their product at whatever market price prevailed. An 
increase of many hundred acres resulted from this movement 
in Bristol County alone. 



Campaign to prevent Slaughter of Poultry. — Because of the 
stocks of poultry in storage, the market prices paid for 
poultry and poultry products did not advance in the year 
1917 in any such measure as the cost of production. Massa- 
chusetts poultry raisers have always been at a disadvantage 
in comparison with poultry raisers of the West, because of 
the fact that the eastern poultryman must purchase feeds 
at the market price, while the westerner, who is himself a 
producer of feeds, and who raises poultry on free range, 
never knows the actual cost of his product. The flocks of 
the West and the South are in a measure self-sustaining 
through the summer, and such grain as is fed in winter is 
seldom charged against the flock. It is only by superior 
management methods that the eastern poultryman has main- 
tained himself in competition with the West. 

When the price of wheat advanced sharply in 1917, other 
grains rapidly followed, and the Massachusetts poultryman 
found himself under great stress. Many commercial flocks 
were reduced to a minimum of breeding hens, and many 
were entirely discontinued. The commercial hatcheries re- 
ported about 30 per cent of their usu?l volume of business. 

To meet this the Committee on Food Production secured 
money to pay two specialists from the Agricultural College, 
who carried on an intensive campaign in various parts of 
the State for increasing I he hatch. This was done with the 
conviction that the price of poultry and poultry' procHicts 
would shortly advance as soon as storage stocks were ex- 
hausted. As a result of the campaign, many commercial 
hatcheries again began business, and the poultry flocks of 
the State were maintained in much better numbers than was 
anticipated. 

The unheard-of prices for egsrs and dressed birds during 
the season of 1918 enabled poLlltrAK^nen who maintained their 
flocks to that period to recover the losses which they had 
previously sustained, and to make a profit in addition. 

During the latter part of 1917, and during the season of 
1918, bulletins and press articles were issued from time to 

343 



time urging the culling of flocks in order that the feeding of 
non-producers might be discontinued, and the productive 
average of flocks increased. Many striking results were 
obtained in this campaign, in which the county agricultural 
agents gave the greatest assistance. In some cases, where 
the agent and the specialists of the college divided a flock 
into two pens, one supposedly producers and the other 
supposedly non-producers, the yield from the producing flock 
was virtually the same as the yield of the entire flock before 
the division, while the yield from the non-production pen was 
almost negligible. In one instance a flock of 160 birds was 
culled, and the production from the 8 birds which were re- 
tained equaled the production from the entire flock, while 
the pen of non-producers yielded a maximum of but three 
eggs a day. 

The Committee on Food Production further recommended 
that poultrymen make every effort to produce more of their 
own feeds. On a number of farms where careful records of 
production costs were kept, it was found that the cost of 
producing a bushel of corn ranged from 37 cents as a mini- 
mum, to $1.04 as a maximum. Even at the maximum, the 
corn grown in Massachusetts cost the grower much less than 
an equal amount purchased in the western markets. It was 
the conviction of the Committee that in the long run New 
England poultry growing, like New England dairying, would 
find its sure foundation only when the producers should be- 
come in a measure independent of purchased supplies of 
feeds, depending more upon the product of their own land. 

Assistance to Comity Farm Bureaus. — The Food Produc- 
tion Committee, when first organized, realized that contact 
with farmers of the State could best be made through estab- 
lished agencies. Farm bureaus and county agents were in 
operation in all counties except Nantucket, Dukes and 
Suffolk, but home demonstration agents were at work in 
only four counties, and special boys' ami girls' agricultural 
chib agents in only three. The Committee, therefore, rec- 
ommended to the Committee on Public Safety that assist- 

344 



ance be provided for farm bureaus, to enable them to make 
their work more effective. The sum of $35,000 was granted 
by the Governor and Council, and apportioned to the differ- 
ent farm bureaus. 

County farm bureaus were organized for the two island 
counties of Dukes and Nantucket, and both agricultural and 
home demonstration agents began work early in the summer 
of 1917. Funds were made available for home demonstra- 
tion agents in all of the farm bureaus where none were as 
yet employed, these funds being used as a basis of co-opera- 
tion with the United States Department of Agriculture 
through the Extension Service of the Agricultural College. 
In still other counties employment of special agents for 
boys' and girls' club work was made possible. The Com- 
mittee believed that the war emergency would hasten normal 
developments in many desirable lines, and wished to assist 
or promote only such activities as were not being developed 
by regular agents. In addition, they desired to subsidize 
permanent agencies for what would ultimately be permanent 
work, rather than to create emergency machinery. The 
feeling was that if home demonstration agents and boys' 
and girls' club agents were once established in the various 
counties, their usefulness would be so well recognized that 
there would be little doubt of their continuance by the coun- 
ties. This did in fact take place. With the end of the war 
and the withdrawal of emergency funds the farm bureaus 
themselves decided to raise revenue for continuing the work 
of the home demonstration agents and boys' and girls' club 
agents. 

In the year 1918 this subsidy to counties was continued 
where necessary. It is gratifying to note that the majority 
of counties expended less than the amount allowed them. 

The increased production of the State was in a very large 
measure attributable to the work of the farm bureaus, 
through their help in publicity and in assisting farmers to 
secure supplies. In the home demonstration work, likewise, 
the agents of the farm bureaus were of great assistance, 

345 



while the home economics leaders of the Food Administra- 
tion depended on farm bureaus for reaching the more 
scattered population of the State with the messages of con- 
servation. The earlier work of farm bureaus also made 
possible the organization of the State, in less than a month's 
time, with local emergency committees on food. Later, 
when organization for food control became necessary, 
the same machinery was of great help to the county 
administrators. 

Onions. — The Food Production Committee, and later 
the Food Administration, was called on to assist in dis- 
posing of surplus stocks of onions. For a short period in 
the winter of 1916-17 the highest speculative price levels 
ever known for onions had been reached. Later in the spring 
too large a carry-over caused a corresponding slump to very 
low prices, with a great supply and very little demand. 

During the winter of 1917-18 onion producers in the 
Connecticut Valley received from the Food Administration 
important aid in getting an adequate supply of heater cars 
for the movement of the crop, much of which would other- 
wise have been wasted. Through the Associated Lidustries 
of Massachusetts many manufacturers w^ere persuaded to 
buy ear lots for distribution, at cost, to their employees. 

In the autumn of 1918 it became evident that the onion 
crop of the Connecticut Valley was not moving as fast as 
it should. Investigation showed that growers, who had 
been dependent on speculators to buy their crop in peace 
time, were unprepared to carry the cro]) and hold it for 
subseqvient markets. In peace time the buyers habitually 
purchase heavily in the fall because of the possibility of 
speculative profit, but during the war, with all possibility of 
speculative profit removed, purchase was slow and prices 
ruinous. In one small area more than 50 carloads of onions 
were without a market, and 85 cents per hundred pounds 
was the highest price offered for limited quantities, while 
some sales were made for 75 cents per hundred pounds. 
The purchase by factories of the Associated Industries group 

346 



of several carloads in this territory immediately brought 
back the price to $1.40 per hvmdred pounds, and at that 
figure the growers about recovered costs of production. 

The large publicity given to onions effected a material, 
although temporary, increase in consumption. Retailers 
made no effort to handle the commodity when the permitted 
margin of profit had been reduced to a very small figure. 

The large onion crop of 1918, although excellent in quality, 
was not a profitable venture to the farmers. Without the 
services of speculative buyers, producers were unable to sell 
or store the crop. This condition will continue until storages 
owned and controlled by the producers themselves are 
available. 

Corn Borer. — In August, 1917, the department of ento- 
mology at the Massachusetts Agricultural College identified 
specimens of the European corn stalk borer, an insect which 
has done enormous damage to the corn plant in Europe, 
and has virtually prevented its culture in some sections. 
The caterpillar bores up and down the stalk of the plant, 
and frequently riddles the cob. Specimens in the cater- 
pillar stage had been sent to the college for identification 
earlier in the season, but as the insect was absolutely new 
to this section of the country, a full identification was not 
made until the moth was found. The trouble was confined 
to an area near Boston, where gardeners noticed that, 
apparently without good reason, a slight breeze would blow 
down the entire stand of sweet corn. 

The Food Administration reinforced the publicity work 
of the Department of Agriculture by urging all household 
gardeners to burn every bit of garden waste, particularly 
corn stalks, and to attempt the eradication of certain weeds 
known to harbor the pest. Circulars were issued and much 
newspaper publicity was secured. 

Transportation Problerns. — Complaints from farmers and 
shippers of farm products relating to stray shipments were 
at first dealt with through the Sub-Committee on Trans- 
portation of the Committee on Public Safety. Later all 

347 



such problems were cared for by the Division of Transpor- 
tation, whose work is described elsewhere in this story. 

Data were collected through the field agents in marketing, 
as to the use of motor trucks by commercial truckmen in 
bringing produce to the community markets. The depart- 
ment of markets at the Massachusetts Agricultural College 
made this information the basis of plans for the season of 
1919. The same data were furnished to the Committee on 
Motor Transport, and that Committee would have followed 
the matter further had not the termination of the war stopped 
its activities. 

Campaign for Use of Local Products. — In 1917, and again 
in 1918, the Committee urged the county farm bureaus and 
the Food Production Committee to plan as far as possible 
for the absorption of local produce by local demand. In 
Essex County, for instance, the slogan "Take Essex 
County out of the market" was adopted. Cix)ss-hauling 
of produce has always been a source of some economic 
waste, although perhaps less than is often supposed. It 
has long been noted that the suburban towns around 
Boston are traversed through the produce season by the 
trucks of farmers from outlying sections; the produce is 
delivered to wholesalers in Boston, and on the return, over 
the same route, to the suburban consuming centers. Much 
was accomplished by local committees, and particularly by 
the committees which promoted local community markets, 
to stop the smaller lots of produce from going to the whole- 
sale markets. It will, however, never be sound economy 
for the larger producers, who move and sell their produce 
in full truckloads, to take time to meet the requirements of 
suburban retailers. 

Canning and Drying. — The stimulation of canning, dry- 
ing and preservation of household garden products, was 
taken up particularly by the Division of Conservation, and 
will be dealt with under another heading. Feeling that 
further assistance was desirable, the Committee worked out 
co-operative plans with the Agricultural College by which 

348 



schools for leaders were held in various parts of the State, 
so that for each community provision might be made for 
the supervision of canning and drying activities. 

During the first season "teams" of instructors from the 
college were organized, and held extension schools on can- 
ning and preserving at many centers through the State. 
Special courses were arranged at Simmons College, at the 
Massachusetts Agricultural College, and at various county 
agricultural schools and farm bureaus. Upwards of a 
thousand teachers received training in the sixty or more 
schools that were provided. Further effort was made to 
promote the establishment of canning and drying centers 
as community projects. These 'centers furnished valuable 
demonstration of successful and unsuccessful practices, and 
the data secured will be available to guide communities 
whenever the project of community canning and drying 
centers is brought forward. 

Canning Supplies. — The general upset in manufacture 
and transportation caused a threatening shortage of glass 
jars for canning purposes in the year 1917. The Committee 
on Food Production and its Sub-Committee on Conservation 
urged all householders of the State to locate any stocks of 
glass jars that had been in disuse, and to provide them- 
selves early with adequate supplies of jar rings. In addition 
to this many town committees purchased canning supplies 
in car lots, at a substantial saving to householders. 
It should be recorded, however, that the great ma- 
jority of grocers were very reasonable in their charges for 
supplies, and there was little attempt to profiteer on either 
jars or rubbers. Through the season of 1917 a member of 
the food production staff was assigned to the task of fol- 
lowing wholesale stocks and preventing shortages in any 
localities. 

A further interesting and somewhat puzzling complication 
in cities came from the fact that in violation of the law many 
of the poorer householders utilized milk bottles for putting 
up preserves and marmalades, thereby depleting the already 

349 



small stock of milk bottles and adding very substantially 
to milkmen's costs of doing business. 

In 1918 no particular shortage of jars threatened. 

Live-stock Problems. — Because of the low prices for dairy 
products, and the scarcity of labor, many dairy herds in 
Massachusetts were dispersed during the early period of 
the war. Effort was made to show farmers that, with the 
consequent increasing shortage of dairy products, prices 
would become more remunerative. Little could be done 
toward the actual increase of herds, but the Committee 
tried to prevent further decrease. The later organization 
of the Federal Milk Commission made more extended work 
of the Committee in this line necessary. 

Every effort was made to increase the number of hogs 
grown within the State. Boys' and girls' pig clubs were 
promoted. This work failed of large results because the 
available supply of pigs was exhausted before the number 
of householders who wished to raise pigs could be provided 
for. In the spring of 1918 the supply of pigs had increased, 
but at no time was it adequate. The use of household 
garbage for the feeding of the family pig was much increased, 
as is described elsewhere under the head of "Garbage." 

Tobacco Growing. — The Committee received many com- 
plaints from citizens of the State, to the effect that the use 
of the best agricultural lands for the growing of tobacco 
was an economic waste. The demands of the army over- 
seas for supplies of tobacco seemed a sufficient reply to this 
complaint. Moreover, the tobacco growers had sheds and 
equipment useful for no other purpose. Tobacco lands 
carried a high valuation, and it seemed unjust to the op- 
erators of these fanns to request the non-profitable opera- 
tion of their lands for the period of the war. The tobacco 
growers responded generously by agreeing to take idle land 
elsewhere, and to raise an acreage of grain or staple crops 
equal to the acreage of tobacco which they were nonnally 
producing. They thus made a direct contribution to the 
food supply of the Nation. 

Machinery Project. — Early in the season of 1918 the 

350 



question of the wider use of harvesting and other machinery 
to replace man power received much attention. An in- 
ventory of available threshing outfits and other units of 
heavy farm machinery was made by the county agents, and 
machinery privately owned was more fully used by others 
than the owners. 

But a larger project was desirable, and a bill was intro- 
duced in the Legislature of 1918 to provide for the purchase 
and operation by the State of heavy agricultural machin- 
ery, particularly of tractors and of threshing outfits. An 
appropriation of $100,000 was made by the Legislature 
to the State Board of Agriculture, in the use of which 
the Committee on Food Production gave assistance. A 
report of this, specially to be commended, has been pub- 
lished by the Massachusetts State Department of Agri- 
culture. 

The Committee did not expect the project to be self- 
supporting, but supposed that it would furnish a demon- 
stration of the possibilities for heavy machinery, and would 
greatly stimulate private purchase. As was expected, many 
farmers were led to buy tractors, as well as threshing out- 
fits and hay presses, for their own use. The Agricultural 
College made provision during the season of 1918-19 for 
numerous schools for tractor operators, to assist farmers in 
avoiding the mistakes usually made by novices in the opera- 
tion of such machinery. 

Altogether, the demonstration was of great benefit to the 
State, and, in the opinion of the Committee, well worth 
what it cost, 

Croj) Acreage Increase. — At the close of the season of 
1918 the county agricultural agents made a report to the 
State leader of farm bureaus, giving the following results: — 

Acres. 

Increase in corn, 29,000 

Increase in potatoes, 11,000 

Increase in oats, 5,000 

Increase in wheat, rye and barley, at least, . . . . . 5,000 

50,000 
351 



While this may not seem noteworthy when compared with 
the increase in larger agricultural States, it should be re- 
membered that scarcely 4 per cent of the population of 
Massachusetts is engaged in agricultural pursuits, so that 
the percentage of increase over former production shown 
by the figures quoted is highly significant. 

Food Consumption Survey. — Before the organization of 
the Federal Food Administration, the Sub-Committee on 
Distribution of Food recommended a survey to determine 
if possible the approximate food requirements of the State. 
In Hampshire County investigations by the Massachusetts 
Agricultural College department of economics showed that 
the towns of that county, although close to natural sources 
of supply, were yet largely dependent on food brought from 
a distance by rail. This was true even in the case of com- 
mon local products. This investigation brought out, in- 
cidentally, the fact that communities vary much in their 
habits about food. One town is a large fruit-eating town; 
another seems to have no taste whatever for fruit. In one 
town consumption of potatoes was found to be two bushels 
per capita; in another, nearly six. 

Working from a different standpoint, the Committee 
assigned men to study the food requirements of typical 
families in the city of Boston, and through this effort con- 
firmed the Hampshire County estimates of the average per 
capita consumption of staple foods. Thus a basis was 
secured for a rough estimate of the quantities of various 
foodstuffs required for the State. The chief lesson was the 
necessity of keeping open the lines of transportation and 
the maintenance of adequate reserves of food in anticipation 
of coming needs. 

Milk Production Cost Survey. — • In the spring and early 
summer of 1917 the Committee believed it important to 
find out the cost of milk production in Massachusetts. The 
Boston Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee and 
the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth were already 
working on the problem. The Chamber of Commerce under- 

352 



took to publish the surveys, both in the field of production 
and of distribution. The Food Production Committee fur- 
nished the funds, and, under a plan of survey formulated 
by the Agricultural College and the Chamber of Commerce 
jointly, the college sent out investigators to secure data 
from the books of farmers. 

The names of farmers who kept account books were learned 
through the county agricultural agents, from which the figures 
of a relatively small group were finally selected as furnishing 
satisfactory material for comparison with one another and 
with data to be secured in other New England States. 

The actual cost of production was thus detennined for a 
definite group of farmers, the average annual production of 
milk per cow owned being a little over 5,000 pounds. The 
Committee also furnished funds to secure data from other 
States which supply milk to Boston, and by this means the 
investigation was extended to Maine, New Hampshire, Ver- 
mont and Connecticut. This valuable information was 
compiled and issued in a bulletin in season for the use of 
the Federal Milk Commission for New England. Further 
details on the subject of milk will be found in the section on 
the Federal Milk Commission. 

Insect Control Work. — In the summer of 1917 the Com- 
mittee felt that the army of new household gardeners were 
entitled to assistance in the matter of insect pests and their 
control. Money was granted to the Massachusetts Agri- 
cultural College for two insect and plant disease specialists, 
who were to be field agents assisting city and town garden 
supervisors in the identification of pests and diseases, and in 
planning means for their control. These men were con- 
stantly in the field, advising county agricultural agents, 
town garden supervisors and leaders of agriculture. Every 
conceivable question was asked them, and the list of pests 
which they identified is as impressive as it is unintelligible 
to the unscientific reader. This preventive work saved 
many times the cost of the service, and left a permanent 
educational efl^ect. 

353 



In addition to the field work the insect and plant disease 
specialists kept continuous knowledge of stocks and prices 
of insecticides, and did much to assist in securing adequate 
supplies at reasonable prices. 

Final Recommendations of the Committee. — At the last 
meeting of the Committee on Food Production a return to 
normal conditions in agriculture was urged. The weak- 
nesses of our present system had been so clearly demon- 
strated by the crisis that efforts could be more intelligently 
directed to correcting them. The Committee strongly urged 
that all forms of artificial stimulation and subsidy be aban- 
doned, and that the efforts to increase agricultural produc- 
tion be made to confonn to sound peace-time principles of 
agricultural economics. It was also the conviction of the 
Committee that the various agricultural agencies of the 
State were making excellent use of the war experiences, 
and that substantial progress would be shown during the 
next few years. 

The real credit for the increase of production belongs to 
the farmer who did the work. Credit for assisting him 
should go to all the agencies which gave their efforts and 
facilities to render the problems of production less difficult. 

The Committee took this means of expressing to all the 
co-operating bodies its hearty appreciation of their efforts 
during the war. 

It should also be noted, finally, that the success of the 
Food Administration in Massachusetts w^as in a large meas- 
ure dependent upon the public attention and interest which 
had resulted from the efforts of the Massachusetts Food 
Production campaign of the spring of 1917. The entire 
Commonwealth was alive to the fact of an impending food 
shortage, perhaps more so than any other State in the Union. 
The appeals to patriotism and public spirit had prepared 
the way for the message of conservation and the measures 
of control which were later necessary. The Women's Com- 
mittee on Conservation had prepared the way for the 
Woman's National Council of Defense, which in turn fur- 

354 



nished the basis for immediate results in conservation efforts 
with householders. The Sub-Committee on Distribution 
had initiated many projects which were continued without 
break in the Food Administration. It would, indeed, be 
impossible for those who have worked through the entire 
period to distinguish between the work of the earlier Com- 
mittee and the work of the Food Administration, so fully 
did the two merge, and so completely did the policy of the 
Food Administration carry into effect the original plans of 
the Food Production Committee. 



(b) Direct Buying and Community Markets 

Early in the work of the Food Production Committee, 
fear was expressed, on the one hand, that efforts for in- 
creased food production would be of no avail, and, on the 
other, that such emergency production would glut the 
market. The Committee felt that a certain amount of 
increased production would surely result, and in the report 
of a Sub-Committee on Distribution the establishment of 
community markets was urged. These were planned, pri- 
marily, for surplus products of home gardens, and for the 
products raised by small farmers and market gardeners who 
had no regular and easy means of approach to wholesale 
markets. 

In July, 1917, the Committee on Public Safety in the 
city of Quincy opened a public market for farmers and 
gardeners on the grounds of Adams Academy. This was 
immediately successful, and was copied at once by Food 
Production Committees of Lowell and Springfield. Through 
the circulation of a bulletin describing the Quincy Market 
and the manner of its administration, wide interest was 
immediately created throughout the State. Volunteer mem- 
bers of the staff in Boston were assigned to the promotion 
and inspection of these markets, and much work was done. 

The volume of business varied from a relatively small 
amount on one day in the week to $3,500 a day in the larger 

355 



markets. The prices were considerably lower than pre- 
vailed in retail stores, and much of the material sold would 
have been wasted without this outlet. 

In September, 1917, with a view to the market organiza- 
tion of the following summer, the Food Administration co- 
operated with the Extension Service of the Massachusetts 
Agricidtural College in placing four market agents in the 
field, who were assigned to definite districts of the State. 
During the winter, communities were advised as to the 
wisdom of continuing or discontinuing markets, and were 
assisted in making their plans. The following account of 
the community markets is drawn from the experience of 
both summers. 

State legislation requires cities and towns of 10,000 popu- 
lation or over to designate sites for fanners' markets. These 
sites, and rules and regulations for conduct of markets, are 
subject to approval by the State Board of Agriculture. 
Although little had been done in this direction before 1917, 
the Committee found this legislation helpful in compelling 
action on the part of officials who either were not interested, 
or who feared opposition from local retailers. 

Various tjq^es of market developed. In Quincy there 
was parking space for forty or fifty teams and trucks, and 
ground rent was charged. The Committee also provided a 
community table with an agent in charge, so that small 
quantities of produce could be left and sold by the agent 
for a commission. The market was located in the center 
of the city and at the convergence of two important auto- 
mobile routes. This market sold or rented scales to pro- 
ducers which had been sealed by the Department of Weights 
and Measures. Paper bags were furnished to fanners at 
cost, and baskets kept on hand for sale to consumers. These 
small points added greatly to the effectiveness of the market. 
The prices ranged below retail, but above current wholesale. 
On the morning of each market day the market master 
secured the Boston wholesale prices by telephone, and 
posted them on a bulletin board. This public knowledge 

356 



made it safe for retailers to purchase of farmers for im- 
mediate delivery. It is worthy of note that the Quincy 
retailers were not hostile to this market, believing that it 
brought people into the city who remained to make other 
purchases in Quincy instead of in Boston. The market 
did away in part with the former practice of trucking ma- 
terials through Quincy to Boston, to be sold immediately 
to purchasers from Quincy and then trucked back again 
over the same route. It also saved labor and time, and 
brought the produce to the purchaser in better condition. 

A second type of market was that at Kingston. This 
was a relatively small market, and catered particularly to 
Saturday afternoon automobile travel moving toward the 
Cape. This market was conducted by a women's committee, 
and those who furnished produce and poultry products 
found it to be well worth while. While not serving the 
local population in reducing current prices, it furnished a 
profitable outlet for a certain volume of produce. 

Still a third type developed in Boston. The deputy 
commissioner of markets interested himself in learning of 
farmers who would provide a regular supply, and with 
approval from the Board of Agriculture fixed on six market 
sites in densely populated parts of the city. The market 
was held one day each week at four of the sites, and two 
days a week at the others. The prices realized were con- 
siderably lower than prevailing retail prices, but above 
wholesale prices, this being possible because of the very 
great spread. In Central Square, East Boston, on the 
first market day the price of sweet corn to the consumer 
was reduced from 35 cents per dozen ears to 20 cents per 
dozen ears; and although the supply consisted of several 
truck loads, it was quickly exhausted. Similar results were 
secured elsewhere within the city. In Boston, opposition 
on the part of retailers developed much more than in Quincy, 
but the demand of consumers for this service was very 
insistent. Reaction on both wholesale and retail markets 
was noticeable. Retail prices which had been so high as 

357 



to diminish demand were brought down to lower levels, 
with a heavy increase in volume of sales. Unwillingness 
of retailers to buy from wholesalers had caused gluts to a 
ruinous level. Diversion of produce from the wholesale 
markets to direct community markets brought increased 
demand. In one instance a producer who was offered $15 
for a load of cabbage in the Boston wholesale district traveled 
to Cambridge, and in less than two hours sold the entire 
load for $60, quadrupling his gross returns, and at the same 
time placing the product in the hands of the consumer at 
much less than the retail price. 

In Framingham a different development came through 
the unwillingness of farmers to spend time in selling. There 
an agent was employed to sell the products of the entire 
group, so that the establishment came to resemble a general 
provision store. 

In Gardner the farmers were sufficiently interested to 
call for a winter market, which was open each week, with 
the result that one farmer alone disposed of $1,200 worth 
of apples and winter root crops. At the close of the 1918 
season the Springfield producers rented a store and planned 
to continue direct retail selling as a permanent venture. 
In other sections the local indoor market was developed, 
and the experience of the past two years seemed to in- 
dicate that the most valuable developments of the work 
in the future would be in the line of wholesale business. 

The markets were particularly successful in cities where 
a large foreign population was accustomed to use less meat 
and more vegetables in the regular diet; but everywhere, to 
the end, quality and prices attracted purchasers. By far 
the most difficult problem was to create interest among 
producers. It seemed an economic fallacy for fifteen to 
thirty producers to spend their time selling in competition 
with each other at a single market. Many farmers, short 
of help, needed their own and their men's time for their 
regular farm work. But the consumers' enormous demands 
made sales so rapid that this fear on the part of the farmers 

358 



was quickly removed. In many cases the time spent in 
selling produce at markets just outside of Boston was not 
greater than the time which it would have taken to dispose 
of a load in the Boston wholesale district. In many of the 
markets, on busy days, producers provided a continuous 
supply, bringing in several truck loads in a single day. By 
confining the market to two or three days a week, and 
placing in charee of the selling men and boys not physically 
fit to do heavy work in production, it was possible to fore- 
stall much criticism. 

Another fear of the farmers, and by no means a groundless 
one, was that they would be boycotted by wholesalers if 
they sold direct in the community markets. This fear was 
soon forgotten after the Food Administration let it be known 
that pressure of this sort would be ground for prosecution 
under the Food Control Act, which prohibited action re- 
sulting in unnecessary or unreasonable charges, and re- 
quired that commodities move in as direct a line as possible 
to consumers. 

The attitude of retailers varied greatly. In many in- 
stances the retailers showed a thoroughly patriotic spirit 
in furthering the interests of direct markets. Others were 
antagonistic, on the ground that dealers who expected to 
provide this service the entire year, and particularly in 
the winter when volume was small and loss great, should 
be depended on for handling the large summer trade. In 
some cases a definite attempt was made to provide farmers' 
wholesale markets to which retailers might come for supplies. 
Some retailers felt that the increased sales of other supplies 
offset any loss, and some reported that the actual volume 
of their sales was materially increased on the days of the 
farmers' markets. 

The opinion of most of those who had wide experience 
of these markets is that many of them could wisely be 
maintained in peace times, but that direct farmers' markets 
cannot expect success as a permanent institution unless 
certain conditions are met. A substantial buying group 

359 



and an adequate and regular supply must be available. 
The quality must be good, because as a rule the group that 
patronizes such a market includes the most discerning and 
careful buyers of the community. If the market is whole- 
sale, retailers must be able to seciu'e their entire require- 
ments, and prices must take into account the nearest com- 
peting wholesale market. Retail prices to consumers must 
be low enough to be attractive, considering quality. 

Direct farmers' markets should be conducted strictly on 
a business basis. Business expenses, such as the salary of 
the market master, the cost of materials, and incidental 
expenses, should be met by a charge on those who sell. 
Subsidy by Committees on Public Safety and city and town 
governments was frequent during the war, and as a war- 
time measure was wholly justified, but would be undesirable 
under normal conditions. 

Two other factors should be considered. If existing 
w^holesale markets are adequate to take care of the produce 
of the section, and if retail prices are reasonable, a farmers' 
market is unnecessary. If the supply were to become 
much greater than the demand, the market would be glutted, 
and ruinously low prices result. 

The providing of ground rent free for fanners who sell 
in competition with retailers has led to a feeling that farm- 
ers ought to hire a site on private land and conduct their 
venture like any other private enterprise; yet much can 
be said on the other side of the question and in favor of 
such a subsidy. In Europe, and in many cities of the 
United States, provision is made at public expense for direct 
marketing. 

To sum up, the fanners' markets in Massachusetts fur- 
nished useful outlets in periods of glut; they substantially 
increased consumption of vegetables; in most cases prices 
to consumers were lower and the vegetables in fresher con- 
dition; and in the Boston district, particularly, the whole- 
sale market was relieved of some burdensome supplies. 
Home garden supplies and small farm supplies were handled 

3G0 



by the emergency markets, so that the wholesale channels 
were kept clear for regular commercial producers. It is 
worthy of note that several of the experts working with the 
market-garden industry felt that increased consumption of 
produce absorbed increased local production; also that the 
conditions of glut at times prevailing in the Boston market 
in the season of 1918, and during the following winter, were 
not due to production by emergency gardeners, but would 
have come in any case because of normal commercial over- 
production exceeding the normal demand. 



3G1 



CHAPTER IV 

CONSERVATION AND PUBLICITY 

(a) Home Economics 

The entire conservation work of the Food Administration 
is here detailed in close connection with the women's work, 
which centered in the office of Mrs. Thayer, the director of 
home economics. In most cases members of Mr. Endi- 
cott's office staff were much occupied with the work de- 
scribed. In some instances by far the larger part, or even 
the whole, of the responsibility rested with them; in other 
cases the reverse was true. The two offices worked, indeed, 
as part of one organization, and it would be impossible as 
well as profitless to try to record their respective shares in 
each undertaking. It is only just, however, to treat all 
this great section of conservation as primarily pertaining 
to the department of the home economics director and her 
organized host of the women of Massachusetts. 

Director of Home Economics 

Organization of ll^omen's Work. — The women's food 
work in Massachusetts was started in March, 1917, by the 
appointment of a Food Conservation Committee, with 
Dean Sarah Louise Arnold of Simmons College as chairman, 
this Committee being a sub-committee of President Butter- 
field's Committee on Food Production and Conservation 
associated with the Massachusetts Committee on Public 
Safety. In June, 1917, when the Massachusetts Woman's 
Committee, Council of National Defense, was established, 
with Mrs. Thayer as chairman, Dean Arnold was appointed 
chairman of Food Conservation and Production for the 
Woman's Committee, thus uniting the women's food work 
already under way with that i)roposed by the new organ- 

362 



ization. In August, 1917, when Mr. Endicott was ap- 
pointed Massachusetts Food Administrator, Mrs. Thayer 
and Dean Arnold were appointed home economics directors 
for Massachusetts. 

In continuance of work already begun, local committees 
of women on food conservation and home economics were 
organized in two hundred and nine of the towns of the 
Commonwealth. The chairman of each of these committees 
was made responsible to the chairman of the local unit of 
the Woman's Council of National Defense, who were them- 
selves directly responsible to Mrs. Thayer. 

A large and constant supervision was given to these local 
food committees by Miss Arnold, through visits to a great 
number of the towns and frequent consultation with the 
chairmen at her office in Boston. A large general com- 
mittee, under Miss Arnold as chairman, for developing 
various branches of the work, was organized and continued 
to hold meetings until her withdrawal to take up work in 
Washington. 

In the autumn of 1917 a Home Economics Committee 
was established by Mrs. Thayer in order to bring together 
in regular consultation a number of persons engaged in 
different branches of the work. The committee met once a 
fortnight on alternate Thursday afternoons, and consisted of 
the following members : — 

Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer, Home Economics Director, Chairman. 

Prof. James H. Ropes, Secretary. 

Dean Sarah Louise Arnold, Chairman of State Food Committee. 

Pres. Kenyon L. Butterfield, Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst. 

Miss Laura B. Comstock, State Leader for Home Economics Extension 
Workers in Counties. 

Z. C. Dickinson. 

Mrs. Malcolm Donald, Chairman of Food Committee, Woman's Council 
of National Defense. 

George H. Ellis, Vice-Chairman, Committee on Food Production. 

Henry B. Endicott. 

Mrs. Herbert J. Gurney, Vice-Chairman of Massachusetts Woman's Com- 
mittee of the Council of National Defense; President, Massachusetts 
Federation of Women's Clubs. 

363 



Miss Louise Pryor, Agent in Charge of Vocational Work for Girls and 

Women. 
Miss Antoinette Roof, State Leader for Home Economics' Extension Work 

in Cities. 
Miss Frances Stern, Specialist on Food for the Industrial Worker. 

This committee did not in general undertake executive 
and administrative work, but was of far-reaching impor- 
tance in keeping in full mutual understanding different 
organizations whose co-operation was essential to the effi- 
ciency of the work in Massachusetts. Apart from this 
conmiittee, also, but partly in consequence of its existence 
and meetings, the representatives of these organizations 
were in constant communication with Mrs. Thayer and 
with each other. 

Early in 1918 Miss Arnold was requested by the United 
States Food Administration to take up work in Washington 
and in other parts of the country, traveling widely and 
making public addresses. Her place as chairman of the 
Food Conservation and Production Committees of the 
Massachusetts Woman's Committee of the Council of Na- 
tional Defense was filled by Mrs. Thayer's appointment of 
Mrs. Malcolm Donald, who had been chairman of the 
Household Economics Committee of the National Civic 
Federation. Mrs. Donald, although technically an officer 
of the Woman's Council of National Defense rather than 
of the Food Administration, became to all intents and 
purposes an officer of the latter, with an office at the State 
House. Her official status in the Food Administration was 
that of a member of the Massachusetts Board of Food 
Administration. 

The picture of the organization would not be complete 
without repeating here what is elsewhere stated, that the 
whole force of county home economics agents, working 
under Miss Laura B. Comstock of the Massachusetts Agri- 
cultural College, as State leader of county agents, and the 
whole force of the emergency home economics leaders for 
cities, working under Miss Antoinette Roof, State leader of 

364 



this work, were at all times brought into the closest relation 
with the United States and Massachusetts Food Adminis- 
tration. These workers were regarded, and regarded them- 
selves, as an integral part of the Food Administration, 
although in every respect their administrative independ- 
ence, under the supervising officials duly appointed, was 
maintained. Under these agents and leaders a large num- 
ber of local workers and demonstrators were constantly 
active. 

In the spring of 1918 a State leader of volunteer college 
workers was authorized by the United States Food Ad- 
ministration, and Miss Ada Comstock, dean of Smith Col- 
lege, was appointed to this position by Mr. Endicott and 
Mrs. Thayer. 

The daily routine of the office included such matters as 
these : — - 

Correspondence dealing with complaints and with requests for technical 

information. 
Information bureau for the general pubHc. 
Arranging for and sending speakers. 
Constant directions to food chairmen, teachers and private organizations, 

such as churches, women's clubs, etc. 
Daily writing of newspaper publicity. 
Informal conferences with State, county and city leaders. 

From the first, a great number of leaflets, posters and 
bulletins and a large amount of other printed material were 
distributed through many channels. After February, 1918, 
when a more careful account began to be kept, 8,180,000 
pieces of printed matter were sent out. For this purpose 
use was made of churches, clubs and miscellaneous gather- 
ings; the county food administrators (men and women); 
the city leaders and county home demonstration agents; 
also the four hundred libraries of the State, with the aid of 
Miss Edith Guerrier, library director, and her representa- 
tive Mrs. Libbey at the Food Facts Cottage, and others. 
Small "envelope enclosures" were sent out with all circular 
letters, and distributed with the bills and pay envelopes of 

365 



a nvimber of great industrial and public service corporations. 
A "literature room" was maintained at the State House 
under the direction of Miss Louise W. Jackson, and similar 
service was rendered by the Food Facts Bureau. 

For the needs of the foreign-speaking population, seven 
of the series of food leaflets on the use of corn, oats, milk, 
food for children, etc., provided by the government, were 
each translated into eleven languages, — Armenian, Finnish, 
French, Greek, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, 
Swedish, Syrian and Yiddish, — and of these, 8'20,000 copies 
were distributed. During the latter part of 1918 plans 
were in hand for a still larger issue in foreign languages. 

The work of the office centered largely in a long series of 
special efforts, more or less protracted in the several in- 
stances, but covering the whole period. The subjects of 
these campaigns were as follows : — ■ 



1. 


Hoover pledge card. 


11. 


Using up corn meal. 


2. 


White breadless days. 


12. 


Flour card. 


3. 


Wheatless and meatless days. 


13. 


Absolutely wheatless. 


4. 


Fish. 


U. 


Beef conservation. 


5. 


Corn meal. 


15. 


Canning and drying. 


6. 


Fats. 


16. 


Milk. 


7. 


Potato. 


17. 


Storage of vegetables. 


8. 


Posters. 


18. 


Cottage cheese. 


9. 


Liberty bread. 


19. 


Fruit pits and nut shells 


10. 


Canning and food centers. 







In these campaigns a great variety of methods were em- 
ployed, as the occasion suggested and required. Publicity 
was secured through newspapers of every type, with the 
aid of vohmteer women publicity agents and others. Leaf- 
lets and pamphlets specially prepared in Massachusetts 
were issued, as follows: — 

"The Why and the Wherefore of the Food Administration." 

"Food Conservation and Production Work for Churches, Synagogues and 

Lodges." 
"Canning without Sugar." 
"Apple Butter." 



366 



"Plan for Conservation of Wlieat." 

"How to Live without Wheat." 

"Eat Potatoes instead of Bread." 

"Use More Milk." 

"Corn Meal is cheaper than \Mieat Flour." 

"Milk is the Best All-round Food." 

"How to Cook Fish." 

Special posters were printed and widely exhibited, and 
through the efficiency of the State merchant representative 
great quantities of posters were brought before the public 
in stores, as well as in factories, railroad stations and hotels 
by the aid of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts; 
also through clubs, and by direct distribution at the State 
House, to individuals. To agencies already mentioned 
leaflets were sent in quantity for local distribution. Cir- 
cular letters were dispatched to churches, newspapers, clubs, 
hotels, grocers, libraries, schools and private organizations. 
Slips were attached to their menus by hotels and restaurants. 
In the potato campaign a fairy story and an allegorical play, 
prepared in Washington, were sent out to schools. An out- 
line for study of questions was used in many women's clubs. 
A poster contest was held, with the aid of the Normal Art 
School. 

The moving-picture houses of the State lent their aid 
freely, and slides with a food conservation message were 
exhibited, each for a week or more, on the following topics : — 



Sugar Ration. 

Wheat Ration per Person. 

Canning and Preserving. 



Use Fancy Meats. 
Eat Cottage Cheese. 
Save Food for Humanitv 



Outdoor pictures and appeals also attracted the attention 
of large crowds during the summer of 1918 at the Food 
Administration Cottage on Boston Common. 

Elaborate plans were made, and, as described elsewhere, 
partly carried out for exliibits through the State. The 
largest achievements were those of the electric car and the 
demonstration truck, the store-window exhibits devised and 

367 



energetically pushed by the State merchant representative 
and his local agents, and the library exhibits. 

Speakers were provided for a great number and variety 
of public meetings and clubs; one interesting work was a 
series of talks to cooks at employment offices. 

For home conservation demonstrations of actual processes 
were important. These were carried on incessantly, chiefly 
under the direction of the county home demonstration 
agents and city leaders; and also in other ways, notably by 
the Conservation Cottages on Boston Common, the wheat- 
less and sugarless demonstration electric car, the motor 
truck, and at Liberty Bread Shops and large stores. To 
this class of work belong the one hundred and thirteen 
canning centers established in the State. 

Particular mention should be made of two enterprises 
already referred to. An electric car was equipped and 
maintained at the expense of Mrs. A. Lawrence Hopkins, 
and sent over lines in the eastern part of the State. Its 
purpose was to stimulate interest in the conservation of 
wheat, to teach how to make wheatless bread, to show 
methods of economizing in sugar, and to give instructions 
in the care and feeding of children. In forty-seven days 
57 towns and cities were visited, and nearly 9,000 persons 
reached in a most effective way. 

Similar was the work done in the city of Boston by the 
demonstration truck, made possible by the gift of Mrs. J. 
Montgomery Sears. This was in activity for two months, 
in which time sixty demonstrations were given and the same 
number of talks on child welfare. It was estimated that 
0,500 persons were reached through this means. 

Cottages on Common. — From May 1 to October 1, 1918, 
five Conservation Cottages were kept in operation on Boston 
Common, near the Tremont Street Mall and about opposite 
West Street. Charmingly grouped, and surrounded by a 
demonstration vegetable garden, these inexpensive cottages 
were the focus of a varied and most effective work. In the 
center stood the Food Administration Cottage, where a 

368 



volunteer was always present to answer questions, and in 
which lectures, meetings and exhibitions (for instance, the 
poster contest exhibition) were held. A porch of this cot- 
tage provided for the exliibits and other work of the Women's 
Municipal League. 

In a second cottage the Food Facts Bureau, supported 
by the Women's City Club of Boston, distributed literature 
and information about food, clothing and fuel; kept a 
permanent file of printed materials; and maintained a 
w^ell-informed staff to answer questions. To this cottage 
19,723 persons came; and from it 248,766 leaflets were sent 
out, with other printed matter. 

The third building (opened June 4) was the Children's 
Cottage of the Women's Food Committee of the Boston 
Committee on Public Safety. Here 23,250 persons received 
information and instruction about child welfare through 
exhibits, consultation with experts, and printed material. 
Of the last, 69,750 pieces were distributed. 

The National Civic Federation erected and maintained 
the fourth cottage, which was well equipped for cookery 
demonstrations, held twice daily. In all, 37 demonstrators 
gave instructions here, at 220 demonstrations, to 32,000 
persons. 

The fifth cottage was that of the Red Cross, where Red 
Cross activities of all kinds were exhibited and literature 
to the amount of 45,000 pieces distributed. The visitors 
numbered 20,000. 

Mention may well be made here of the influenza work of 
■the Women's Home Economics' office, and of its established 
agencies through the State, in setting up emergency can- 
teens, 136 in number, for supplying food to nurses, doctors 
and families. 

Besides the activities for which the administration was 
directly responsible, it was able to co-operate with the 
Red Cross Lunch Room and with the Liberty Bread Shops. 
The latter, provided for by Mrs. Augustus Hemenway, and 
managed by a committee of ladies, consisted of a central 

369 



shop with bakery at 35 Huntington Avenue, and five 
branches in different parts of the city. ^Yar bread was 
here made and sold, free instructions in making it given 
to bakers and householders, and bread recipes sold. In 
September, 1918, the ovens and equipment of the kitchen 
were transferred to Prof. Lawrence J. Henderson of Harvard 
University for his Food Administration experiments in the 
baking of bread. 

The daily routine of the Home Economics office became 
well established in June, 1917, and continued, uninterrupted 
but occasionally expanded, until the need of further con- 
servation work ceased. A calendar showing the course of 
conservation effort during the whole period from March, 
1917, to January, 1919, may be found in the Appendix 
(page 580). 

(b) Canning without Sugar 

By a cruel coincidence, the sugar shortage of 1918 l)ecame 
most acute at just the time when sugar was sorely needed 
to aid the conservation program by its use in preserving 
fruits, and so preventing waste of good food. The Federal 
Food Administration tried to obviate the difficulty as best 
it could by adjusting the allotment of supplies of sugar. 
But other steps were also necessary. 

Fortunately the fruit products department of the Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural College had already been making ex- 
tensive experiments in the field, and had found that heavy 
syrups had been habitually used where lighter ones would 
accomplish the same results. In tests with consumers' 
groups, where samples were submitted for judgment, it was 
found that for some fruits a 20 to 25 per cent syrup was 
quite as acceptable as one containing 50 to 00 per cent of 
sugar. It was further proved that fruits and berries which 
had ordinarily been preserved with sugar would be equally 
well preserved by sterilization, and that the sugar might 
be added later at the time of use. 

370 



In addition to an active propaganda for these ideas through 
the usual pubhcity channels, an excellent bulletin, "Canning 
without Sugar," and another on "Apple Butter" were issued 
in co-operation with the Massachusetts Agricultural College. 
The result was a saving of a large amount of fruit which 
would otherwise have gone to waste for lack of sugar. 

(c) The Food Administration Home Card, 1917-18 

From the first it was Mr. Hoover's intention to appeal to 
householders rather than to coerce them. In order to fur- 
nish information as to what the Food Administration wished, 
"home cards" were prepared for distribution to every 
household in the United States. The first card, distributed 
in 1917, was sent out through a commercial mailing house 
to a list of names furnished by the State Food Adminis- 
tration, which secured them through the local committees. 
These home cards reached only the majority, by no means 
the whole, of the householders in the State. 

With the home card went a pledge card, and the house- 
holders who signed the pledge were entitled to display a 
window card and buy a pin bearing the seal of the Food 
Administration. These insignia manifested that the house- 
holder had promised loyally to follow the Food Adminis- 
tration requirements, and was a member of the Food Ad- 
ministration. The distribution of these, however, was not 
thoroughly successful. A copy of the home card follows: — 



371 




Hang this in Your Kitchen. 

UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION 
Home Card 1918 



Trade Where You See This r*^*!/f!^^^wJ ■^^^ Where You See This 

Emblem VA'N^dP^I Emblem 



WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP WIN THIS WAR 

See other side showing "SATIY you should do it 

Our problem is to feed the Allies and our own soldiers abroad by sending 
them as much food as we can of the most concentrated nutritive value in the 
least shipping space. These foods are wheat, beef, pork, butter and sugar. 

Our solution is to eat less of these and as little of all foods as will support 
health and strength. All saving counts for victory. 

The Food Administration asks every loyal American to help win the war 
by maintaining rigidly, as a viinimum of saving, the following program : — 

Have two wheatless days (Monday and W^ednesday) in every week, and 
one wheatless meal in ever}^ day. 

Explajiation. — On "wheatless" days and in "wheatless" meals of other days 
use no crackers, pastry, macaroni, breakfast food or other cereal food containing 
wheat, and use no wheat flour in any form except the small amount that may be 
needed for thickening soups or gravies, or for a binder in corn bread and other 
cereal breads. As to bread, if you bake it at home, use other cereals than wheat, 
and if you buy it, buy only war bread. Our object is, that we should buy and con- 
sume one-third less wheat products than we did last year. 

Have one meatless day (Tuesday) in every week and one meatless meal 
in every day. Have two porkless days (Tuesday and Saturday) in every 
week. 

Explanation. — "Meatless" means without any cattle, hog or sheep products. 
On other days use mutton and lamb in preference to beef or pork. "Porkless" 
means without pork, bacon, ham, lard or pork products, fresh or preserved. Use 
fish, poultry and eggs. As a Nation we eat and waste nearly twice as much meat 
as we need. 

Make every day a fat-saving day (butter, lard, lard substitutes, etc.). 

Explanation. — Fry less; bake, broil, boil or stew foods instead. Save meat 
drippings; use these and vegetable oils for cooking instead of butter. Butter has 
food values vital to children; therefore, give it to them. Use it only on the table. 
Waste no soap; it is made from fat. Be careful of all fats. We use and waste two 
and a half times as much fat as we need. 

372 



Make every day a sugar-saving day. 

Explanation. — Use less sugar. Less sweet drinks and candy containing sugar 
should be used in war time. As a Nation we have used twice as much sugar as we 
need. 

Use fruits, vegetables and potatoes abundantly. 

Explanation. — These foods are healthful and plentiful, and, at the same time, 
partly take the place of other foods which we must save. Raise all you can for 
home use. 

Use milk wisely. 

Explanation. — Use all of the milk; waste no part of it. The children must have 
whole milk. Use sour and skim milk in cooking and for cottage cheese. 

Hoarding food. Any one buying and holding a larger supply of food now 
than in peace time, except foods canned, dried or preserved in the home, is 
helping to defeat the Food Administration in its attempt to secure a just 
distribution of food and the establishment of fair prices. The food hoarder 
is working against the common good and even against the very safety of the 
country. Hoarding food in households is both selfish and unnecessary; the 
government is protecting the food supply of its people. 

Loyalty in little things is the foundation of the national strength. DIS- 
LOYALTY IN LITTLE THINGS GIVES AID TO THE ENEMY. KEEP 
THE PLEDGE. 

Do not limit the food of growing children. 

Eat sufficient food to maintain health; the Nation needs strong people. 

Co-operate with your local and Federal Food Administrators. Take their advice. 

Preach and practice the "gospel of the clean plate." 

Housekeepers should help the stores to cut down deliveries. 

Use local supplies; this saves railroad transportation. 

Report to the nearest Food Administration officer the name and addi-ess of any 
person discouraging the production or saving of food. 



UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION 



Why we must save Food 

See other side showing HOW we can do it 



To the Members of the United States Food Administration. 

The men of the Allied Nations are fighting; they are not on the farms. 
Even the men of the European neutral countries are under arms. The fields 
of both Allies and neutrals lack man power, fertilizer and machinery. Hence, 
the production of food by these countries has steadily lessened ever since the 
beginning of the war, while, at the same time, the shortage of shipping has 
grown more and more serious, with the consequent steady increase of diffi- 

373 



culties in bringing food from the far-away markets of India, Australia and the- 
Argentine. 

The situation has become critical. There is simply not enough food in 
Europe, yet the soldiers of the Allies must be maintained in full strength; 
their wives and children at home must not face famine; the friendly neutrals 
must not be starved; and finally, our own army in France must never lack a 
needed ounce of food. 

There is just one waj' in which all these requirements can be met. North America 
must furnish the food. And we must furnish it from our savings because we have 
already sent our normal surplus. 

We do not need to starve our own people. We hav-e plenty for ourselves, and it 
is the firm policy of the Food Administration to retain for our people, by its control 
of exports, a sufficient supply of every essential foodstuff. We want nobody in our 
country to eat less than is necessary for good health and full strength, for America 
needs the full productive power of all its people. Much of the needed saving can 
be effected by substituting one kind of food for another. But the time has come 
to put aside all -selfishness and disloyalty. The time has come for sacrifice. 

The Allies ask us to meet only their absolutely imperative needs. They are re- 
stricting the consumption of their own people to the minimum necessary for health 
and strength. They are controlling their food by drastic goverimient regulation. 
There is even actual privation among their women and children; there is starvation 
in Belgium. 

The Allies need wheat and meat and fats and sugar. They must have more of 
all of these than we have been sending, more than we shall be able to send unless 
we restrict our own consumption. We can do it without harm, for, as a Nation, 
we are to-day eating and wasting much more food than we need. 

The whole great problem of winning the war rests primarily on one thing,, 
— the loyalty and sacrifice of the American people in the matter of food. It 
is not a government responsibility, it is the responsibility of each individual. 
Each pound of food saved by each American citizen is a pound given to the 
support of our army, the Allies and the friendly neutrals. Each pound wasted 
or eaten unnecessarily is a pound withheld from them. It is a direct personal 
obligation on the part of each of us to some one in Europe whom we are bound 
to help. 

If we are selfish or even careless we are disloyal; we are the enemy at home. 
Now is the hour of our testing. Let us make it the hour of our victory; victory- 
over ourselves; victory over the Enemy of Freedom. 

HERBERT HOOVER, 

United Stales Food Administrator^ 
HENRY B. ENDICOTT, 

Food Administrator for Massachusetts. 

12 



374 



In 1918, after many changes in the requests which house- 
holders were asked to follow, the Federal Food Adminis- 
tration planned to issue a second card in the spring, and a 
third for the winter of 1918-19. A copy of this card and 
a special preparatory message from Mr. Hoover was fur- 
nished to the several States; the cards themselves were to 
be printed by the State administrators. In Massachusetts 
the contract for printing was let, but in October the in- 
fluenza epidemic, which appeared here earlier than in other 
parts of the country, led Mr. Endicott to urge the Federal 
Administration to suspend the distribution of home cards 
and cancel plans for public meetings. The Federal Ad- 
ministration, however, unwilling to delay the card, directed 
that the printing be continued and distribution made 
through the safest means possible. The printing of over 
800,000 cards had to proceed, and only after the home 
cards were printed and the stock for the window 
cards cut, orders came that further distribution of home 
cards and posters be suspended until the latter part of 
November. 

In order to relieve the printer, whose storerooms and 
hallways were burdened with upwards of ten tons of printed 
material, the cards were shipped to city and town adminis- 
trators, who had prepared local organizations to deliver 
them to householders. At the signing of the annistice, on 
November 11, they had not yet been distributed. Finally, 
orders came for the cards to be disposed of by public auction, 
or by bids, and the proceeds returned to the Federal govern- 
ment, which had made itself responsible for the whole 
expense. 

While it must be confessed that the 1917 home card dis- 
tribution came far short of the expectations of its pro- 
moters, and that the final home card campaign came to 
naught, nevertheless, the device was a good one, and, had 
the war continued, the frequent placing of cards with 
messages in the hands of all householders would have been 
successfully carried through with important results. With- 

375 



out the impetus of the 1917 home card, and the infor- 
mation which it conveyed throughout the State, the con- 
servation movement would have lacked a necessary aid. 



(d) No White Bread Week 

One of Mr. Hoover's first calls was for wheat saving. 
Mr. Endicott said that the only way to save wheat was to 
save it, and proposed to the Board of Food Administration 
a wheatless week, in which consumers would be asked to 
refrain from the use of wheat. The matter was fully de- 
bated by the Board, and the fact brought out that com- 
plete abstinence from wheat would be almost an impossi- 
bility; so the slogan was changed to "No white bread week." 
The suggestion was taken up with a group of hotel men, 
and further, with the New England Food Administrators, 
and was put into effect for the week beginning August 6, 
1917. The co-operation of hotels, restaurants and house- 
holders was most remarkable. Corn meal was reintro- 
duced into many families where it had long been a stranger. 
Rye bread was in greater demand than ever before. 

It was impossible to get accurate data concerning the 
amount of wheat actually saved. Boston is a distributing 
point for New England territory and for other cities of 
Massachusetts, and also for export trade; the sales in 
Boston are not an index of local consumption. The great 
value of the work was in drawing attention to the urgent 
need of saving wheat. Subsequent appeals were readily 
accepted, and wheatless days and wheatless meals were 
made possible by the interest which was created by the no 
white bread week. It was the text upon which many ser- 
mons and appeals were delivered, not only for the saving 
of wheat, but also for the saving of fats and meats. All 
told, the "no white bread week" was one of the most effec- 
tive introductions which could have been given to the en- 
tire Food Administration camj)aign. 



376 



(e) Garbage Committee 

In August, 1917, the Massachusetts Food Administration 
took up the question of the general utihzation of garbage, 
and the following committee was appointed: — 

James J. Phelan . 
Matthew Luce. 

On investigation the Committee discovered that generally 
throughout the State sanitary measures as affecting garbage 
were already developed; that the disposal of it was handled 
through the regular established channels; that in a great 
majority of the cities it was segregated from other refuse; 
and that contracts for its collection were let out to reduc- 
tion companies or to farmers. In the smaller towns, how- 
ever, the disposal of garbage was left more to the initiative 
of individuals who collected for the larger establishments, 
or to householders, who either destroyed it by fire, or fed 
it to their poultry and pigs. It was also discovered that 
the city of Boston had as yet made no effort whatever to 
collect garbage in certain outlying portions of the metro-- 
politan district. The Committee therefore undertook the 
three following distinct lines of work : — 

1. To prevent eatable food being thrown into the garbage pail and 
thus wasted. 

2. To prevent the waste of garbage by burning or destruction. 

3. Where the mixture of garbage with ashes or other foreign materials 
was found to work against the reduction of garbage, or to make it injurious 
as cattle food. 

One of the first complaints called to the attention of the 
Food Administration after its organization in July was the 
serious wastefulness occurring at Camp Devens, then under 
construction. Three members of the Committee on Public 
Safety ^ — ^ Messrs. Lyman, Bazeley and O'Hare — were dele- 
gated to visit the cantonment, and found that these com- 
plaints were grossly exaggerated ; in fact, the waste through 
garbage had been so completely restricted that the farmers 
who were under contract to remove it were tired of their 

377 



bargain. At the same time, as a result of a conference be- 
tween Colonel Sweetser, in command of the military authori- 
ties at the camp, the F. T. Ley Company, which was doing 
the construction work, and the representatives of the Com- 
mittee, a still more careful system to prevent waste was 
at once put in operation. The camp kitchens and restau- 
rants were at that time maintained by the construction 
company, and did not pass out of its hands until the authori- 
ties took control, early in the autumn. The farmers' agree- 
ments required them to remove not only garbage from the 
kitchens, but also manure and other refuse from all parts 
of the cantonment. On the other hand, the sanitary offi- 
cers insisted that in order to safeguard the health of the 
workers this removal should be made daily, — a requirement 
which the fanners were unwilling or unable to comply with. 
In consequence all accumulated garbage was burned as a 
health measure, the fuel used being discarded building 
materials, the requisition of which for such a purpose was 
the cause of further complaint, on the ground that it was 
a waste of material. This latter complaint the Committee 
found in no respect substantiated. In different sections 
throughout the vast area, where buildings were being erected 
on rush orders, huge piles of odds and ends of scrap lumber 
accumulated daily, which, however useful elsewhere, were 
an ever-threatening danger in case of fire, and for lack of 
means to remove them had to be instantly disposed of. 

The garbage difficulty, however, was settled when a con- 
tract for removing all garbage and manure was let to a cor- 
poration making daily collections, and carrying the reduci- 
ble material to an established reduction plant. Later, in 
the autumn of 1917, and under full military control, a care- 
ful inspection of all camp kitchens and feeding places was 
instituted, and by a system of checks all waste eliminated. 

Again, Mr. Endicott, now Food Administrator for Massa- 
chusetts, having in mind the productive use of garbage as 
well as its conservation, issued a letter to all boards of 
health in every city and town within the Commonwealth, 

378 



asking them to encourage as far as possible an increase in 
back-yard raising of swine and flocks of poultry, and to 
allow liberal interpretation of existing health laws. This 
undoubtedly greatly assisted in increasing production of 
these two articles of food. The county food administra- 
tors were asked to instruct their staff and local oflficers to 
preach the gospel of the clean garbage pail, and to prevent 
waste of garbage wherever possible. 

The result of the Committee's work was shown in the 
scarcity of garbage which soon prevailed in Massachusetts. 
The reduction company of Boston, handling under contract 
most of the city garbage, reported that not only had the 
quantity of garbage fallen off some 25 or 30 per cent from 
the previous year, but that the same condition existed in 
regard to the grease the company collected. It also ap- 
peared from reports from Mr. Bamman, chief of the Gar- 
bage Division at Washington, that Massachusetts was one 
of the only two States credited with 100 per cent of gar- 
bage conservation in towns of over 10,000 population. On 
inves-tigation the Committee found but three or four cases 
where the larger towns destroyed their garbage, and in 
those instances the condition was quickly remedied by the 
local food administrator. 

In April, 1918, the Committee, with the hearty co-opera- 
tion of the city of Boston and the reduction company, made 
an investigation in regard to the disposition of the Boston 
garbage, examining practically 40,000 premises before ob- 
taining the following results : — 

Per Cent. 

Garbage mixed with ashes or other materials, 20.79 

Garbage burned or destroyed, 1 . 60 

Waste of food in garbage, .15 

It will be seen from these figures that practically no waste 
of food was taking place through the garbage. 

The Committee charged a special agent to examine hotels, 
restaurants and clubs, and through the instrumentality of 

379 



Mr. F. C. Hall of Boston, chairman of the Hotel and Res- 
taurant Division, these places reduced their mixed or burned 
garbage and waste to a minimum. 

On May 2, 1918, Mayor Peters stated that he would have 
steps taken to educate housekeepers on the question of 
reducing garbage and other waste, and that he had already 
instructed public works, police, health and school depart- 
ments to co-operate heartily in this respect with the Com- 
mittee. iVt the same time, ordinances were unanimously 
passed by the council enabling the Boston board of health 
to act more effectively than it had heretofore been able to 
do in enforcing existing laws. For example, ordinances 
were strengthened penalizing owners or lessees of buildings 
who did not provide adequate receptacles for garbage, ashes, 
waste papers, rags, broken glass and other rubbish. Pen- 
alties were also provided for persons guilty of throwing 
paper or rubbish into public or private streets or property, 
and for those mixing ashes or garbage with any other 
material, or keeping it in any other than the prescribed 
receptacles. 

It appeared that heretofore, in three or four Boston 
districts, the city had never attempted to collect garbage, 
but left it to be destroyed by the local residents. 

During 1918 a real scarcity of garbage for feeding hogs 
and poultry prevailed throughout the State. Moreover, 
there can be no doubt that the work of the Committee 
pointed out to the entire community that garbage is a 
valuable commodity, to be considered as such in the future 
and to be kept free of foreign material. The conservation 
established by the Committee as a war measure will un- 
doubtedly continue in peace time as a matter of business 
thrift. 

(f) State Merchant Representative 

In the early autumn of 1917, the United States Food 
Administration directed the State Administrators to appoint 
in each State a representative of retail merchants, to or- 

380 



ganize local storekeepers of every description for food work, 
and particularly for publicity, through window displays and 
the exhibition of posters. In October Mr. Endicott ap- 
pointed to this position George W. Mitton of the Jordan 
Marsh Company, Boston. His assistant representative, 
Earle Powers, was in charge of the work, under Mr. Mitton, 
and had a desk at the State House. 

The first work of Mr. Mitton and Mr. Powers was to 
appoint local representatives in all the cities and towns of 
the State, a special organization being provided for Boston. 
This was promptly and completely accomplished by the 
aid of the local Committees on Public Safety, Food Com- 
mittees and selectmen. Upwards of 325 local men were so 
appointed . 

To each of these local merchant, representatives a letter 
was sent by the Governor of the Commonwealth, and full 
and careful instructions were furnished by Mr. Powers. 
The State merchant representative kept in constant com- 
munication and correspondence with the local men. Mr. 
Powers was also present at all the county conferences on 
food supply held in February, 1918. 

Many of the local merchants were willing to contribute 
part of their newspaper advertising for food conservation 
matter, and material was furnished to all of them for this 
purpose. The total gift of the merchants to the adminis- 
tration, in this form, aggregated a very large sum, probably 
as much as $60,000. 

Sketches and ideas for window displays, adapted to large 
and smaller stores, were also issued at frequent intervals, 
and were extensively used. There were few towns or vil- 
lages in which shop windows did not show, for a great part 
of the war, exhibits of substitutes, and appeals in interest- 
ing form to save wheat and meat and to avoid waste. 

As striking colored posters of many designs were sent out 
from Washington in increasing numbers, the retail merchant 
organization came to be of indispensable service in getting 
these before the public in every hamlet. Printed material 

381 



of many kinds was distributed through the same channels, 
and many merchants themselves reprinted recipes and other 
leaflets. In each campaign of the administration and the 
Home Economics Committee these methods were avail- 
able, and nothing could have exceeded the enthusiasm and 
energy with which the work of Mr. Mitton's office was 
carried on. His assistant's full time was a contribution to 
the administration from his employers, and was highly 
appreciated. 

In some of .the large city stores very elaborate food ex- 
hibits were shown, and conservation instruction and pub- 
licity carried on. In Mr. Mitton's own store, for example, 
demonstrations of various kinds were held daily for many 
weeks before many thousand persons, with the co-operation 
of the National Civic Federation and the Women's Munici- 
pal League; and a food booth was maintained, with well- 
infonned attendants to give out leaflets and information 
and to answer the questions of the daily thousands of in- 
c^uirers. Similar reports could be given of the work in 
other large establishments. In countless ways, through the 
State merchant representative, the subject of food con- 
servation was brought to the attention of the public and 
made the subject of every -day conservation in all parts 
of the State. 

The work of the Massachusetts retail merchant repre- 
sentative received strong approval from Washington, and 
his methods became a very important part, perhaps the 
basis, of plans recommended by the United States Ad- 
ministration to the other States. In February, 1918, at a 
general meeting in New York of merchant representatives 
from the State administrations of the whole country, Mr. 
Powers was present, and described and illustrated his 
methods of organization and ])ublicity. It was reported 
as the general sense of the meeting that Massachusetts had 
proved herself the leader in this important department of 
the work. 



382 



(g) Food Administration Bulletin 

In December, 1917, a committee was appointed with 
reference to a weekly bulletin which would carry to the 
members of the Food Administration staff and to the 
general public such messages as were deemed necessary. 
New rules and modifications of earlier regulations constantly 
issued had called for frequent circular letters to the various 
trades which could now be included in a regular weekly 
publication. The first issue of this bulletin was on January 
21, 1918, and it was continued weekly until January 16, 
1919. The design was both to publish requests, rules and 
regulations of the United States Food Administration, and 
at the same time to furnish such material as would be useful 
to speakers, teachers and leaders, as well as to householders 
generally. 

When the Price Division began to publish fair retail 
prices, the bulletin proved to be an excellent means of dis- 
seminating this information, and was highly valued by a 
large body of consumers. 

Many complaints in matters of enforcement arose from 
time to time from various licensees, who said that they 
had not been informed of the rules that were in force. To 
overcome this the name of every licensee was placed on the 
mailing list of the bulletin. The plea of ignorance was not 
accepted. 

The publication was sent to all newspapers of the State; 
to all county, city and town food administrators; to all 
chairmen of committees on food production and conserva- 
tion; to all public libraries; to the heads of fraternal orders; 
to all licensed dealers in food and feedstuffs; and to a still 
larger list of dealers who were not licensed but were subject 
to the general rules of the Food Administration. There 
were also many individuals on the list. Before long the 
mailing list grew to be upwards of 30,000. 

When the general work of the Food Administration came 
to a close, the Price Division insisted that it could not do 

383 



without the bulletin. It was therefore continued into 
January, 1019, when final orders came for the discontinuance 
of the Price Division work. 

(h) Literature Division 

As much of the work of the Food Administration had to 
be performed by distributing printed material, a division 
for this purpose was early created under the charge of a 
volunteer ofiicer with assistants. All Food Production and 
Conservation Committees, all food administrators, the press, 
libraries and many other agencies were supplied with quan- 
tities of various publications adequate for the groups to be 
reached. 

Some further account of the methods of this distribution 
has been already given in connection with the description 
of the work for home economics. 

(i) Fair Exhibits, 1918 

In the summer of 1918 the Food Administration and the 
Agricultural College prepared plans for exhibits to be shown 
at various agricultural fairs in the State, Prof. W. D. Hurd 
being appointed for this purpose representative of both 
organizations. Three distinct sets of material were re- 
quired, as the fairs were held simultaneously in various 
parts of the Commonwealth. The two larger exliibits were 
moved by auto truck; the third by common carrier. 

The exhibits at the first of the fall fairs attracted a great 
deal of attention and much favorable comment. The work 
was cut short by the influenza epidemic and the cancel- 
lation of the fairs. Even the tents which were used to 
house the exhibits, together with other tents owned by the 
Agricultural College, were diverted from this work to hos- 
pital purposes, and turned over to the Emergency Health 
Committee. 

The use of fairs more intensively for educational pur- 
poses and food matters is a field which may well be de- 

384 



veloped in peace time. The county farm bureaus, together 
with the Extension Service at the Agricultural College, the 
State Department of Agriculture, State Department of 
Health and the State Board of Education might well com- 
bine to furnish collections of materials and promote such 
exhibits during the season of fall fairs. 



385 



CHAPTER V 

REGULATION OF FOOD TRADES 

(a) License Division 

History of Organization 

The License Division (see Appendix, page 569) was 
the first division of the Massachusetts Food Administration 
to be estabhshed for the special purpose of deahng with 
food trades and industries. It was created, as the name 
implies, when the first general licensing proclamation of 
the President, dated October 8, 1917, was published. Lip 
to this time the Food Administration had had numerous 
dealings with the food trades, such as commercial bakers, 
milk suppliers, fish dealers, hotel and restaurant keepers, 
etc., but such negotiations had been carried on by Mr. 
Endicott and his assistants as a part of their general work 
in promoting production and conservation of food. 

About October 15, 1917, Paul J. Sachs of Cambridge, 
professor of fine arts in Harvard L^niversity and a former 
banker, was secured as a volunteer to give his whole time to 
the administration, supervising the activities relating to 
licensed trades. By January 1, 1918, the scope of the 
License Division had been enlarged to include all regulation 
of trade, including unlicensed dealers and manufacturers, 
and also to carry on all enforcement of Food Administration 
laws and regulations, even against private persons. As one 
after another commodity or trade assumed special impor- 
tance, subdepartments within the License Division grew up, 
which departments became divisions independent of the 
License Division and under the general supervision of 
Assistant Administrators Ratshesky and Phelan. In this 
way, successively, the Sugar, Baking, Enforcement, Cereal, 
Transportation and Perishables, and Price Divisions were 

386 



formed by May 1, 1918, — all being offshoots of the origmal 
License Division. 

The Fish, Poultry and Ice Division originated independ- 
ently of and prior to the License Division, and was always 
interested in furthering conservation rather than as a regu- 
latory division. Also, the original milk committee of Mas- 
sachusetts and the New England Milk Commission were 
formed to deal independently and directl^^ with the milk 
producers and distributors. Their work lay more in arbi- 
tration than in administering regulations. 

After these various commodity and trade divisions had 
emerged from the License Division, the latter's activities 
were restricted to the routine of keeping records of licensees 
and files of license regulations; of publication of new regu- 
lations as they were received from Washington; and of 
administration of the regulations governing the less im- 
portant trades for which separate divisions had not been 
found necessary. Such was the work of the License Di- 
vision from about May 1, 1918, until the close of the Massa- 
chusetts Administration. 

Mr. Sachs, having gone overseas about July 17 for duty 
with the Red Cross, Mr. Z. C. Dickinson succeeded him 
as head of the division. 



General View of Food Administration Licensing 

System 

The licensing system of the United States Food Adminis- 
tration was created and administered under authority of 
the act of August 10, 1917 (the Lever Act), which authorized 
the creation of the United States Food Administration, 
and further provided : — 

whenever the President shall find it essential to license the importation, 
manufacture, storage, mining or distribution of any necessaries, in order 
to carry into effect any of the purposes of this Act, and shall publicly so 
announce, no person shall, after the date afiixed in the announcement, 
engage in or carry on any such business unless he shall secure and hold 

387 



a license issued pursuant to this section. The President is authorized to 
issue such licenses and to prescribe regulations for systems of accounts 
and auditing of accounts to be kept by licensees, submission of reports 
by them with or without oath or affirmation and the entry of and in- 
spection by the President's duly appointed agents of the place of business 
of licensees. 

It was further provided in this act that the penalty for 
failure to procure a license when required by presidential 
proclamation should be a fine of not more than $5,000, or 
imprisonment not to exceed two years, or both. 

The Food Control Act, moreover, prohibited hoarding of 
necessaries under similar penalties, and also prohibited un- 
reasonable charges for distribution or storage of foodstuffs. 
But the main body of detailed restrictions on the food trades 
during the war between the United States and Germany 
are to be found in the multitude of regulations prescribed 
by Mr. Hoover in behalf of the President, as conditions for 
the holding of the Food Administration licenses. Licensees 
were obliged to conform to these special regulations under 
penalty of losing their licenses, and could thus be compelled 
to stop business in case of failure to comply. 

It should be noted, however, that the Food Control Act 
made certain exceptions to those classes of persons who 
might be subject to license by the President. The most 
important exceptions were farmers or gardeners, with re- 
spect to the products produced by them, and retailers whose 
gross sales of food commodities did not exceed $100,000 a 
year. These classes, although subject to the statutes, were 
not directly bound by any special license regulations pre- 
scribed by the Food Administration. Various classes of 
dealers, and of storers and manufacturers of "necessaries," 
were put imder license by presidential proclamations issued 
from time to time between August 10 and the close of the 
United States Food Administration in 1019. 

The first classes put under license were wheat and rye 
elevators and millers (proclamation of August 14, 1917). 
Three very important classes came next, viz.: (1) sugar 

388 



refiners (proclamation of September 7, 1917); (^) distribu- 
tors of about thirty staples, such as flour and other cereal 
products, dried beans and peas, animal and vegetable fats, 
fresh, canned or cured beef, pork or mutton, poultry, eggs, 
fish, fresh fruits and vegetables and certain canned goods, 
as well as other miscellaneous classes (proclamation of 
October 8, 1917); and (3) bakers (proclamation of Novem- 
ber 7, 1917). A good indication of the final extent of the 
licensing system may be gathered from the subjects of the 
pamphlets of special rules, which are as follows : — - 

Pamphlets of Special Rules 

^Maeat and Rye Elevators, Dealers and Millers. 

Corn, Oats, Barley — Elevators, Dealers and Millers. 

Maltsters, Malt Dealers and Near Beer Manufacturers. 

Rough Rice and Rice Millers. 

Sugars, Syrups and Molasses — Manufacturers and Refiners. 

Canners and Packers — Vegetables, Salmon, Sardines, Tuna, Milk. 

Dried Fruits ■ — Packers. 

Cottonseed, Peanuts, Soya Beans, Copra, Palm Kernels and their Products. 

Manufacturers of Lard Substitutes and Oleomargarine. 

Wholesalers, Jobbers, Importers and Retailers of Non-perishable Food 

Commodities. 
Brokers and Auctioneers of Non-Perishable Food Commodities. 
Bakers. 
Manufacturers of Miscellaneous Food Commodities. 

A. Products containing wheat or wheat flour, other than bakery 

products. 

B. Manufacturers and mixers of mixed flour. 

C. Syrup mixers. 

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. 

Fresh and Frozen Fish Distributors. 

Salt Water Fishermen. 

Poultry. 

Eggs. 

Butter. 

Cheese. 

Raw Milk. 

Meat Packers and Manufacturers of Lard — Distributors of Fresh Meats. 

Cold Storage Warehousemen. 

Feeding stuffs. 

389 



Among the regulations prescribed may be distinguished 
three general types: those designed to prevent hoarding, 
those restraining profiteering, and those requiring certain 
technical practices which reduce waste. Speculation, so 
far as obnoxious, violated both of the first two regulation 
types. Instances of the last-named type are the require- 
ments of standard weights for bread in baking, of higher 
extraction of flour in milling, and of minimum carloads. 

To prevent hoarding, or the withholding from use of 
vital but short supplies in view of an expected rise in price, 
the general penal clause in the act of August 10 was su;>ple- 
m.ented by special license regulations binding on all manu- 
facturers and handlers of non-perishable foods, prohibiting 
them from owning under any guise a supply greater than 
the requirements of their business for thirty or sixty days. 
Licensees were also forbidden, knowingly, to sell to any 
customer more than enough to give him a thirty or sixty 
days' supply. 

The second type of regulation restrained profiteering, 
and also discouraged speculation and hoarding. Practi- 
cally all licensees were required to limit their prices to actual 
purchase cost of the particular goods sold plus a reasonable 
profit, the latter being defined as the average pre-war profit, 
071 an even market. Though the wholesale price might have 
doubled in the interval between purchase and sale, the mer- 
chant must sell on the basis of his actual cost, thus under- 
selling his competitor, who had bought later than he at a 
higher price. This regulation was designed to prevent 
middlemen from taking \mdue toll from the consumer on 
account of the generally rising war market, and at the same 
time to remove the incentive to hoarding and speculation 
by making it of no advantage to the owner of food that the 
market advanced. A quick turnover, and small aggregate 
stocks in trade, was thus to be expected. 

This rule of "cost plus reasonable profit" created much 
unavoidable hardship throughout the administration's exist- 
ence. Of course it was not universally obeyed, but it was 

390 



sufficiently respected so that many concerns had their 
average profits diminished. For, although the government 
restricted the dealer's profit if the market rose while he 
held the goods, it could not enable him to get his original 
cost back if the market declined. His profits were limited, 
but not his losses. In normal times the unusual gains 
offset the unusual losses. During the war period all food 
markets advanced more than they declined, but a number 
of sharp declines took place which brought losses unre- 
coverable because of this rule. 

Without these anti-speculation rules much greater in- 
flation of food prices would undoubtedly have taken place, 
and the "cost of living" problem would have been even 
more serious than it was. 

Administration of License Regulations 

The first task of the Massachusetts Administration's 
License Division was to give notice to the large number of 
persons within the State affected by the important procla- 
mation of October 8, 1917, that they were subject to license, 
and that severe penalties were provided for failure to secure 
a license. About 20,000 circular letters were accordingly 
printed and sent to Massachusetts wholesale and retail 
grocers, provision dealers, bakers, grain dealers, etc. A 
number of applicants were assisted by personal interviews 
and letters to make their applications in proper form, and 
many rulings were made in the food office on line cases where 
there was uncertainty whether or not the concern was 
required to have a license. The circularization revealed 
the considerable shifting which is always taking place in 
the trades, since a large number of letters were returned 
unclaimed. 

As the duplicate card catalogues of licensees within the 
State were sent from Washington, a comparison was made 
with trade lists to detect concerns which had evaded license. 
One could never be certain that every such wrongdoer was 

391 



actually detected, because of the magnitude of the task 
compared with the size of the organization and the time 
at its disposid. 

Two license regulations assisted greatly in this respect. 
The first required every licensee to display his license 
number on various documents and quotations issued by him. 
The other prohibited licensees from dealing knowingly with 
a culpably unlicensed person or concern. Through the co- 
operation thus secured from the trade.'-', and through in- 
spections, complaints and follow-u]) letters, it is believed 
that substantially every concern in Massachusetts required 
to be licensed was put under license. The total list of 
licensees in the State as of record, 1918, was approximately 
10,570. This included 1,870 bakers, and about 5,000 salt- 
water fishermen the licensing of whom was a rather minor 
incident. The absence of fee for the license, and the le- 
niency of the regidations compared with the stringent pen- 
alties for failure to comply, made it of no object to evade 
licensing. Moreover, as tiuxC went on a slight distinction 
was drawn between licensees and non-licensees in the en- 
forcement of the license regulations, under the assum])tion 
that the purjioses of the Food Control Act, which was bind- 
ing on every one, were to be carried out l\v universal ob- 
servance of the license regulations. The elaborate and 
cumbersome reports at first required by the Washington 
License Division of all licensees were onerous to the trade, 
but these reports were greatly simplified by the middle of 
1918. 

Monthly reports to Washington on the quantities of 
goods handled, and the average profits and prices, with a 
duplicate to the Massachusetts office, were for several months 
required of substantially all licensees. These reports made 
such an accunndation of papers that the organization, small 
as it was, and lacking in technical experience with the food 
trades, was unable to derive nuich assistance therefrom; 
but a member of the staff partially audited the rei)orts, 
and in this way a few irregularities were discovered and 

392 



stopped. The quarterly financial statements required of 
feed dealers in 1918 promised to be of value in detecting 
profiteering in those special trades. 

Another part of the work during the whole period was 
notifying the trades of regulations prescribed for them by 
Mr. Hoover, The notices of changes in regulations sent 
directly from Washington to the licensees affected were 
frequently late and often miscarried, and were not sent to 
unlicensed dealers such as the small grocers. Finally, to 
remove all doubt of due notice, the weekly "Food Ad- 
ministration Bulletin" was sent to every food dealer in the 
State. Up-to-date lists of such dealers were secured through 
the local sealers of weights and measures, by the kind co- 
operation of Commissioner Hanson. The successive issues 
of the Bulletin contained a section devoted to the new li- 
cense regidations and changes of rules, together with im- 
portant interpretations and rulings issued either by Wash- 
ington or by Mr. Endicott. This caused an edition of 16,000 
or more copies and an expense of about $^200 a week, but it 
was fully justified. 

The existence of so large a body of detailed regulations 
brought numerous appeals for interpretations on special 
cases, and a considerable part of the work of the License 
Division consisted in answering inciuiries from licensees 
about rules. When the Commodity and Trade Divisions 
separated from the License Division they gave out inter- 
pretations of the rules relating to their own subjects, such as 
sugar and baking. As mentioned above, questions on 
miscellaneous commodities and trades were always referred 
to the License Division. 

The office was exposed to a multitude of complaints as 
to the hardships entailed by various regulations. Licensees 
usually knew that the rules were made and changed in 
Washington, and not by the Massachusetts Administration, 
but, believing that the latter was able to understand their 
problem better than the Washington officials, counted on 
it to intercede for them. In some cases Mr. Endicott or 

393 



ir embers of his staff asked the Washington office for changes 
in rules because of injustice to the dealers. An instance 
was the prohibition of use of milk by bakers in bread. When 
enough pressure of the same sort had come from other States, 
the rules were usually canceled or modified throughout the 
covmtry. The National Administration seldom found it 
feasible to make regional or local regulations. 

Another phase of the regulation of trade was the granting 
of special dispensations or permits for individual tempo- 
rary failure to observe the rules. Discretion to give such 
permits was vested by IVIr. Hoover in Mr. Endicott. For 
instance, when the 50-50 substitute rules were announced 
from Washington, Mr. Endicott made a temporary ruling 
that grocers in Massachusetts might sell only 25 pounds of 
substitutes to 75 pounds of wheat flour until the situation 
should warrant full requirements of the 50-50 formula. 

The relation of the county food administrators to the 
State Administration, after their appointment early in 
February, is explained elsewhere; and in the regulation of 
trade they carried on the same work within their territory 
as did the License Division and the Commodity Division 
in the State House. The State office, however, issued most 
of the notices to dealers simultaneously throughout the 
State, and special information, interpretations and permits 
were given by both the county administrators and the State 
House, according to whether the matter was local or of 
State-wide importance. 



Enforcement and Revocation of Licenses 

One main reason for the establishment of the county food 
administrators was the evident need of better enforcement 
of the rules. Few penalties were inflicted during the first 
six months. The administration held itself ready to follow 
up complaints, but these were not numerous; and it was 
usually felt that if the co-o|)eration of violators could be 
secured for the future, no drastic penalty for the past was 

394 



needed. Following Mr. Endicott's general policy, the 
License Division always endeavored to enlist the sympa- 
thetic co-operation of dealers and consumers. Persuasion, 
personal influence and appeals to patriotism were used with 
good effect. 

The cases handled by more stringent process dealt chiefly 
with alleged hoarding and with supposedly extortionate 
prices, with a few violations of special license regulations. 
Complaints of hoarding were occasionally brought against 
private individuals; and during the flour shortage, at the 
beginning of 1918, several persons found to have excessive 
amounts of flour or sugar were informed of the penalties 
of the law, and were induced to dispose of the hoarded goods 
according to the administration's suggestions. 

During the campaign preceding the election of 1917, 
charges were made in the public press that the storage ware- 
houses within the State were bulging with foodstuffs held 
for speculation. This led to an investigation of food stor- 
ages by Messrs. R. M. and H. C. Everett, Jr., and to the 
installation of a system of regular reports to them of all 
warehouse transactions. 

After the sugar shortage developed, in the latter part of 
1917, numerous complaints were received of unfair distri- 
bution and of extortionate prices on the part of dealers. 
Some penalties resulted later from investigations begun in 
this way. Several apparent violations of license rules were 
brought to the administration's attention by Washington 
and otherwise, but up to March, 1918, no cases presented 
themselves which seemed to call for drastic action. 

On March 7, 1918, the first suspension of license in Massa- 
chusetts was ordered for sales of sugar at exorbitant prices. 
On March 25 the next announcement of penalty was made 
in the "Food Administration Bulletin," a dealer having 
been required to take back an excessive amount of flour 
sold to a customer. On April 6, for the first time, a bake 
shop in Massachusetts was closed temporarily for failure 
to use the required cereal substitutes. 

395 



By March 1, 1918, the members of the License Division 
had become convinced that their organization, concen- 
trated in the State House, was not sufficient to enforce the 
food reguhitions properly. Hitherto it had been proper to 
depend chiefly on persuasion, and to hold Mr. Endicott's 
great legal powers in reserve, the latter constituting in 
addition to persuasion a background of potential coercion. 
At this later period, however, it began to appear that many 
violations were occurring which never came to the adminis- 
tration's attention, and that this situation was encouraging 
would-be violators while penalizing more conscientious 
members of the trades. The License Division accordingly 
welcomed the appointment of county administrators who 
could take responsibility for enforcing food regulations within 
their territory. As soon as the county offices were estab- 
lished, in late March and early April, 1918, the number 
of violation cases handled by the administration sub- 
stantially increased, and penalties became much more 
numerous. 

Also, about the middle of April, W. Rodman Peabody 
was asked by Mr. Endicott to head a new Enforcement 
Division of the Massachusetts Administration, and with 
this specialized department systematic investigations and 
hearings were carried on daily, resulting in frequent drastic 
penalties, usually connected with the power of suspending 
or revoking licenses. The record of such suspensions appears 
elsewhere in the report of the Enforcement Division. 

Another means of securing fuller observance of the emer- 
gency food rules was the development of inspection staffs 
by several of the regulatory divisions. Thus the Sugar, 
Baking, and Price Divisions each acquired field agents 
especially trained to detect violations of the particular 
regulations in the charge of their divisions. 

The total result was that, in the latter months of 1918, 
the Food Administration organization in Massachusetts, 
volunteer and paid, was large enough to detect and punish 
^uch a i^ercentage of all violations that thereafter not only 

396 



patriotism but fear of punishment deterred the vast ma- 
jority of members of the food trade from profiteering and 
other unfair practices. 

(b) Division of Enforcement 

The work of enforcement was first included in the work 
of the License Division. Violators of rules were called in 
for warning, and from the beginning of work until April, 
1918, the head of the License Division performed all judicial 
work, referring penalty cases to the Washington office. In 
the earlier days of the License Division, Mr. Endicott or 
Mr. Ratshesky usually sat as final authority in cases re- 
quiring penalty. 

In April, 1918, the Division of Enforcement (see Appendix, 
page 569) was separated from the License Division and 
placed under the charge of W. Rodman Peabody, who gave 
his full time to the work and acted as trial officer, ably 
assisted by Isaiah R. Clark and James E. Hannigan. From 
this time the License Division did no enforcement work, 
but confined its activities to the interpretation and publi- 
cation of rules. The Division of Enforcement became a 
tribunal to hear and act upon cases of violation presented 
to it by other agents of the Food Administration. The 
policy of the head of the division was, as far as possible, 
to draw a line between administrative (including detective) 
and judicial functions, leaving the preparation of cases to 
others. The wisdom of this course became increasingly 
evident as time passed. 

The power of the Enforcement Division was based upon 
the Federal Food Control Act, and upon the Common- 
wealth Defence Act. The powers of the Federal Act were 
in most cases sufficient, but the additional powers granted 
under the Massachusetts law were a valuable supplement. 
The Federal act regarded distributors of food as agents for 
the public, whose duty it was to effect distribution to pur- 
chasers at fair prices and in reasonable quantities without 
waste. If a distributor failed to perform his duties toward 

397 



the public he avus unfit to act as a Federal licensee, and his 
functions should be assigned to others. Food is the prime 
requisite of the ])eople, and in time of national crisis no one, 
it was assumed, has a right to handle food unless considera- 
tion for the welfare of the entire people is the principle by 
which he conducts his business. 

The intent of the Division of Enforcement was primarily 
to secure observance of regulations, not to pimish violations. 
All cases were approached with the hope that compliance 
could be secured without ])enalty. Extreme forms of ])unish- 
ment were ordinarily inflicted only in the more flagrant 
cases, where the defendant deliberately disobeyed. First 
offenders were given friendly warning, usually without 
penalty. In some cases the posting of a sign in a prominent 
place in the establishment of the offending dealer informed 
the public that he had violated the rules, but had promised 
compliance in the future. In cases where restitution of 
excess profits was possible, this was insisted upon; in a few 
cases, particularly of retailers, such restitution was out of 
the question, and contributions to war charities were ac- 
cepted in lieu of restitution. This, however, was always 
treated as the proposition of the offender, and not exactly 
imposed as a penalty of the Food Administration. In the 
case of unlicensed dealers, of whom over 13,000 existed in 
Massachusetts, the most effective procedure was that of 
the "unfair order," which prohibited licensed wholesale 
dealers from furnishing supplies to the offending non-licensed 
retailers. In the case of licensed dealers, suspension or 
absolute revocation of license was possible, and in some 
cases was used. In no case was it necessary to resort to 
prosecution in criminal action by the Federal courts, al- 
though this was possible under the act. Publicity proved, 
on the whole, the most satisfactory deterrent. Reports of 
all penalty cases were given to the press, and were published 
in the weekly "Food Administration Bulletin." thereby 
reaching every dealer in foods, — a total mailing list of 
31,000. Next to this the posting of premises was most 

dreaded bv dealers. 

398 



'I'lic coiiiplniiils ;icl('(l on (•;iiii(> lo lli(> l)i\isi(»ii <»!' iMilorcc- 
iiiciil Iroin I lie .st>\('r;il <l<'|>;iil iiicnis <>l I lie ollicc, ('.s|>('ci;ill\' 
llioscol l?;ikiii^', SiiL'Mr, 'rr;iiis|)()rl;il ion ;iii«l I'imcc; Iroiii llic 
liiilcd Slahvs h\)o<l AdiiiinisI i;il ion, coiiiiI.n' food .•idiiiiiiis- 
li-.-ilors and IVoiii iiidi\idiial.s. 'rii(\\' related lo aliiiosl. cN'cry 
ItraiK-li ol food |>i°odu<-l ion ainl disi riltiil ion ('arri('<l on in 
Massacliiisc:! Is. \ lai'^\' poi'lion of llic lime of llie Mnl'orce- 
MKMil l>i\ision was laken up by coniplainls in r<><;!U"d lo llie 
use ol Hour willionl snbslilnles (selling" and Waking); I lie 
impr»»|ier use ol" sn^ar; arWil ral ion eases; refusal lo unload 
ears an<l lo aeeepi eonliMils of ears; and prolileerin;^'. 

The Dixision of laiforeemenl laler heeaine in lai<4'e iiieas- 
nre a eoiirl of appeal. Tlie eoiiiil\' or eil>' adiiiinisl ra lor 
<.''a\'e a lirsl liearini;', and linndreds of eases were llins sell led. 
()nl\' where eoinplianei^ was nol, secured hy friendly per- 
suasion of I he local aulhoiily was I he mailer r<>fei-red to 
Ihe Slale Mouse for hearing', or lo Ihe local adminisl ralor 
anlhori/,ed lo ini|)ose a minor penally. 

Ins|)eclors of Ihe \arions dixisions of Ihe l^'ood Adminis- 
Iralion aiul lliose allached lo Ihe coiinly admimslralors 
were of i^re^al s<M"\ice in followini;' np eomplainls and se- 
<iiriiii^" dala. The inlelli^(>nee serxiee of Ihe Adjulanl 
(leiierars olliee and of Ihe I'niled Slales Treasiiiy was 
used in some eases where iimiK'diale and secr<'l aelion WJis 
necessarw ("eiiilied puMic acconnlaiils were employed al, 
Ihe expense of the defendanis lo secure e\'idenee from Ihe 
books of eoucerns under suspicion. 1 1 was Ihe consisleut 
|)olicy of Ihe (li\ ision lo peiiah/e no eases excepi upon e\i- 
deiK'c which would salisfy a I'casouahK' eourl of jnslice. 
The mosi serious eases were rcferi'ed lo Ihe Dixisiou of 
Knforcemenl in \\ asliin^lon for eonlirmal ion before |)eiially 
was imposed, and all mallei's of policy in respecl. lo penallies 
were worki'd oul carefully willi Ihe iM'deral aiilhorilies. 

When eomplainls were reeei\'ed which seemed well 
founded, a confiM'eiice, friendly or formal, was held wilh 
Ihe aeciised. I<]ach defendani was i^ix'en op|)orlunily lo 
be heard bolli in person and by wilnesses, and also had Ihe 



;{!)!) 



privilege of being represented by counsel. The head of the 
Division of Enforcement made trips into the various coun- 
ties, and many cases were heard at the offices of the. county 
administrators. This procedure by circuit, especially in 
the western part of the State, brought the regulations home 
to the dealers of the district more forcibly than a distant 
hearing in Boston. All told, over 500 cases were given 
formal hearing, and many more were disposed of informally. 

A perplexing question was that of procedure against con- 
sumers who violated rules. Because of the insistence of 
Mr. Hoover that the approach to the public must be kept 
on a voluntary basis, the Enforcement Division was used 
against householders in only a few peculiarly flagrant cases. 
In general, it was sufficient to make it dangerous for dealers 
to connive with householders. Public opinion was the chief 
deterrent in this field, and without its support success would 
have been impossible. 

The first large group of offences arose in the matter of 
wheat substitutes. A Bakers' Committee was organized for 
the policing of bakers by bakers. A similar committee of 
grocers was formed, and where correction of wrong practices 
was possible, cases were not brought to the Enforcement 
Division. These two groups of food distributors — bakers 
and retail grocers — included many ignorant and untrained 
persons, and it was difficult to make sure that they under- 
stood the rules. Some of them wilfully used ignorance as 
a shield of disobedience. In the baking industry analysis 
of the product was very difficult, and the improper use of 
substitutes could be checked only by inspecting the bakers* 
purchases of ingredients. 

The small retailer could be kept in line only by insisting 
that he purchase due amounts of substitutes with his flour, 
and that he make the required combination sales. Whole- 
sale grocers were of great assistance here by refusing to sell 
white flour without the required substitutes, and by report- 
ing cases of violation by retailers. The grocery trade, as 
a whole, gave full co-operation to the administration, and 

400 



the problem of enforcement was reduced to a minimum by 
frank dependence upon trade committees to secure com- 
pliance before cases reached the stage of prosecution. 

The problems of wheat substitutes had hardly been solved, 
and the trades brought into line, when the shortage of sugar 
compelled drastic rules concerning its use. The difficulties 
of making an equitable distribution of sugar had never 
before been forced upon the trade by an insufficient supply, 
and it is not strange that much confusion and many honest 
errors resulted. During the months of July, x\ugust, Sep- 
tember and October, 1918, most of the time of the Division 
of Enforcement was devoted to sugar cases. Many dealers 
and consumers who would have scorned to permit themselves 
unpatriotic action with reference to wheat substitutes seemed 
devoid of conscience in the case of sugar. In fact, the 
enforcement of sugar rules was in many respects the most 
difficult matter which came before the Division of Enforce- 
ment. The sugar problem also appeared in hotels and 
restaurants, and because they were not under license proved 
much more difficult. Here, again, appeal to the patriotism 
of owners and proprietors, and the spur of public sentiment, 
were the most efiicient instruments of enforcement. 

Another type of case came from the Division of Trans- 
portation. A board of arbitration had been set up to secure 
the prompt unloading of cars. Delay, due to the refusal 
of consignees to accept shipments, hampered transportation 
and tended to cause waste of perishable foods. In the 
greater number of the 400 cases handled, report to the 
Enforcement Division was not necessary. In a few cases 
one or both parties refused to accept arbitration, and pro- 
posed to fight the matter out, leaving the foodstuff's to 
deteriorate. The Division of Enforcement was then able 
to require that the shipments should be put into channels 
of distribution before the food spoiled. 

In January and February, 1918, transportation difii- 
culties were so great that some question arose as to whether 
adequate stocks of Hebrew passover bread, or matzoth, 

-101 



would be received in time for the feast of Passover. The 
matter was taken up with the transportation companies, 
and ultimately a supply arrived in due time. It then ap- 
peared that because of the shortage of supply and a virtual 
cornering of the market some dealers were profiteering. 
Such were promptly taken to task by the Food Adminis- 
tration and the proper penalties inflicted, with the result 
that the unlawful practice was speedily checked. 

(c) Cold Storage and Flour Stock 

From every public or private cold-storage warehouse in 
the State, a monthly report was required by the Food Ad- 
ministration showing the quantity on hand of certain lead- 
ing foodstuffs. By means of these, and through comparison 
with amounts in storage the preceding year, cases which 
looked like hoarding could be easily detected. Summaries 
were also drawn up which made it possible to see tendencies 
toward shortage of supply in each kind of food. 

As a further protection to the public against holding food 
for a rise in prices, the chief individual concerns carrying 
edible commodities in storage were obliged to file a similar 
monthly' report, and by studying their financial rating any 
improper speculative operations could be discovered. After 
six or eight months these latter reports proved unnecessary, 
and were dropped, partly because most of the concerns were 
licensed and made similar reports to Washington. 

From November, 1918, every railroad entering Boston 
sent in a daily report of flour received in that city (other 
than for export), with the name of all consignees. The 
information was thus in hand for adjusting, when necessary, 
the shipments to Boston from flour mills. 

These departments of the work were in charge of R. M. 
Everett and H. C. Everett, Jr., who kept at all times a 
complete body of information available which would have 
been indispensable if emergencies had arisen. 



402 



(d) Price Division 

The publication of prices, a task at once onerous and 
exacting, was put in January, 1918, into the hands of Rich- 
ard M. Everett and Henry C. Everett, Jr., and carried 
through by them uninterruptedly until the Committee on 
Public Safety dissolved. The work of the division covered 
both wholesale and retail trades. A Trade Committee, 
consisting of the following persons, met every few days and 
rendered indispensable services : — 



C. F. Adams. 
C. O. Blood. 
James D. Casey. 
Henry S. Potter, Jr. 



Leonard H. Rhodes. 
H. A. Spinney. 
Charles S. Tenney. 



With the Committee, besides R. M. and H. C. Everett, Jr. 
(joint chairman), met regularly J. Frank O'Hare of the 
Committee on Public Safety, Mrs.. W. M. Wheeler of the 
Women's Municipal League, Mrs. E. W. Hoist, and Miss 
Bertha R. Eastman. In the price publication work an 
important part was played by the existing organization for 
price investigation of the Women's Municipal League under 
Mrs. Wheeler. 

An elaborate system of reports from wholesale dealers 
was maintained. From these it was possible to follow the 
prices charged to retailers, and to know the gross profit 
of the wholesaler. They were checked with the margin 
allowed by the United States Food Administration, and 
where excessive profits were found, inspectors made careful 
and thorough investigation from the dealers' books. The 
chief work, however, of the division was to publish fair 
prices, which were determined by means of the weekly 
wholesale reports through the aid of the Trade Committees. 
The prices on a selected list of commodities, published 
weekly, included both prevailing prices paid by retailers 
and fair prices to be charged to consumers. Copies of this 
weekly statement were furnished from the outset to every 

403 



newspaper in the State, and eventually, under pressure from 
the public, a large number of newspapers carried it regularly. 

It was also regularly published in the weekly "Food Ad- 
ministration Bulletin." This systenuitic publication of 
prices is believed to have protected consumers against 
improper prices, and at the same time to have protected 
dealers against adverse public criticism of their necessarily 
high but not unfair prices. After careful study of local 
conditions it was found that two sets of prices would be 
sufficient : one applying to the western counties, — Berk- 
shire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire, — and the other 
to the rest of the State. 

From nearly 700 consumers throughout the State, organ- 
ized by Mrs. W. M. Wheeler, regular sheets were received 
showing prices actually charged by local stores. These 
proved of great value as a check on other methods of regu- 
lating prices, and as a means of discovering individual profits 
above the allowed margin. 

Consideration was chiefly given to grocery prices, but 
prices of fruit and vegetables were also published. Ques- 
tions relating to the prices of fish are dealt with in another 
section. The most difficult problem encountered by the 
Price Division was that of determining a fair price for meat, 
especially beef. For the purpose of regulating prices a 
standardization of cuts seemed to be necessary. 

The chairmen of the Price Division Committee agreed 
that the public during the war was too much disposed to 
blame the retailers for the prevailing high prices. Great 
numbers of cases were investigated, and many retailers were 
reproved; but the chief cause of what seemed to be blame- 
worthy action on their part not infrequently turned out to 
be ignorance. 



404 



CHAPTER VI 

PUBLIC EATING PLACES AND BAKERS 

(a) Hotels and Restaurants 

On July 13, 1917, Mr. Hoover, following suggestions from 
the hotel associations of the country, appointed a Hotel 
Men's Conservation Committee of five. On this Committee 
the New England representative was Frank C. Hall of the 
Hotel Somerset, Boston. Early in September a hotel com- 
mittee of the Massachusetts Food Administration was 
organized (see Appendix, page 571), with Mr. Hall as 
chairman, who thus became a member of Mr. Endicott's 
staff. 

As early as August 1, 1917, a conference of hotel men at 
Washington had worked out the main lines to which con- 
servation endeavor in hotels ought to be directed, with a 
view to the saving of wheat, pork products, butter and all 
fats, and beef, and to a greater use of sea food, fresh vege- 
tables and fruits. 

The first step in Massachusetts was the "No white bread 
week" of August 6 to 12, 1917, recommended to the public 
and especially to hotels by Mr. Endicott after a conference, 
July 31, with representatives of the New England, Massa- 
chusetts and Boston Hotel Associations. The voluntary 
response from all sides to this request was highly gratifying, 
and gave full ground to believe that public eating places, 
and the public which they served, would render complete 
support to the many and varied measures which, it was 
foreseen, must follow. 

In September, Tuesday of each week was made a beefless 
day for public eating places. In October Mr. Endicott 
felt that the assured fish supply made it possible to request 
that Tuesday, in addition to the already customary Friday, 

405 



be observed as a fish day, and the hotel committee circu- 
lated pledge cards and posters to that effect. Tlie adminis- 
tration also furnished at this time, and for some months 
subsequently, menu blanks on which extended instructions 
and ai)peals regarding food were printed, with one page 
left blank for the menu itself. For the waiters and em- 
])loyees a pknlge card was also ]n'ovi(led. 

At about the same time an inspection began of monthly 
reports of meat and wheat saved and of fish used, and Mr. 
Hall started a collection of actual hotel and restaurant 
menus. Wednesday and Thursday were designated as 
"wheatless days." 

In November, with the possibility ahead that all public 
eating places would be put under license, renewed efforts 
on a large scale were put out to secure voluntary compliance 
with the request for two wheatless days and two no white 
bread days. It had already become evident that unfair 
competition by the unscrupidous made the position of the 
loyal almost impossible, unless uniformity could be attained. 
The monthly reports already showed a great saving of meats 
and white flour, and also of sugar, in all public eating places. 

In December many hotels and restaurants came inider 
the rule requiring bakers to be licensed, and thereafter 
these large eating places were regulated by law. The aid 
of commercial travelers and of the fraternal orders was 
available in many phases of the work. Constant pressure 
was kept up by address and appeal, by instruction and 
advice, as to the best methods of making the many incon- 
venient changes involved. All sorts of questions arose as 
to sandwiches, sellers of "hot dogs," the composition of 
"frankfurters," the possibility of using substitutes in dough- 
nuts, crackers and cake, and countless other things, and 
the members of the office force not previously conversant 
with these subjects acquired much interesting information 
about the food they had previously merely eaten. Many 
ingenious methods were devised by the technical employees 
of hotels and bakeries, and many things deemed impossible 



406 



proved not beyond human power. One of the great achieve- 
ments, but by no means the only one, was a war oyster 
cracker containing 55 per cent of rye. 

The "general plan" issued in January, 1918, gives a good 
idea of the whole subject. In detail, however, the changing 
seasons brought changing applications of the general prin- 
ciples, especially in relation to meat and poultry; and these 
changes were necessarily so many that the Massachusetts 
oflBce found it extremely difficult to keep up to date its 
general summaries of rules, even though frequently issued 
at large expense. The plan referred to was as follows : — 

General Plan 

Our problem is to feed our Allies this winter by sending them as much 
food as we can of the most concentrated nutritive value in the least 
shipping space. These foods are wheat, beef, pork, dairy products and 
sugar. 

Our solution is to eat less of these and more of other foods of which 
we have an abundance, and to waste less of all foods. 

Bread 

Serve breads or rolls made from corn, rye or from mixed flour. Use 
breakfast food and hot cakes composed of corn, oatmeal, buckwheat, 
rice or hominy. Under European plan, give individual service of bread 
and butter of uniform weight, rolls or slices to weigh not more than 1| 
ounces. Serve absolutely no toast as garniture or under meat, etc. 
Serve war bread. Do not serve bread and butter before the first course. 
People eat them without thought. Where a charge is made for bread, 
a higher charge should be made for white bread. If white bread is de- 
manded, charge for it. 

Meat 
Use more chicken, fish, hare, rabbit, duck, goose, lobster, oysters, 
clams, sea foods and egg dishes of all kinds. Use less beef, mutton and 
pork. Serve smaller portions of these. Have fewer of these items on 
the menu. If you must include one of the three, use mutton in prefer- 
ence. Serve "per person" portions of these meats, of moderate size, 
and charge accordingly. War portions at reduced prices may be served. 
Provide more entrees and made dishes. Beans are most useful, as they 
contain nearly the same nutritive values as meat. Serve bacon only as 
a dish, not as a garniture. 

407 



Fish 
Tuesday and Friday are fisli days. Serve larger variety on those days. 
On otlier days also be sure to serve enough kinds. Fish, either fresh, 
salt or smoked, forms an excellent substitute for meat. It has high food 
value and can be made extremely palatable. Special attention given to 
the fish on your menu will be worth while. New kinds of fish, such as 
whiting, gray fish, pollock, are being introduced. Try them. 

Milk 
Use it all. Economize on milk and cream except for children. Serve 
buttermilk. Serve cottage cheese regularly in varying forms; it is 
especially nutritious. Use skimmed milk in cooking. A great cjuantity 
of it goes to waste in the country. Use cheese generally. The children 
must ha^•e whole milk; therefore, reduce the use of cream. 

Fats 
Serve as few fried dishes as possible so as to save both butter and lard, 
and in any event use vegetable oils for frying, that is, olive oil, corn oil, 
cottonseed oil, vegetable oil compounds, etc. They are equally good. 
Serve all butter in standard pats, for guests and employees. A butter 
pat machine promotes economy. Trim all coarse fats from meats be- 
fore cooking, and sell the waste fats to the soap maker, thereby increasing 
supply of soap and glycerine. We are short of soap fats, as our supplies 
of tropical oils for soap making are much reduced. Do not waste soap. 

Sugar 

Use less candy and sweet drinks. Use honey, maple syrup, molasses 
and dark sjrups with hot cakes and waffles in order to save butter and 
sugar. Use also all classes of fruit preserves, jams, marmalades and 
jellies. Use brown sugar in cooking, and economize by the use of granu- 
lated sugar on the table. Do not frost or ice cakes. Use honey for sweet- 
ening pastry and cakes. 

Vegetables 

Use more vegetables and potatoes. Make fruits and vegetables into 
salads and attractive dishes. Feature vegetable dinners and vegetable 
salads of all kinds. Encourage the use of cheese with salads. We have 
a great surplus of vegetables, and they can be used by substituting them 
for staples, so that the staples most needed will be saved. 

General 
Use local and seasonal supplies. Do not require abnormal use of the 
railways to transport products from far afield, now that we need all 
cars possible for war purposes. 

408 



All waste food should be saved to feed animals or for reduction to 
obtain the fats. No food should be burned. 

The encouragement of hors d'ccuvre of vegetable salads, fish and sea 
food at the start of the meal, and of cheese, fruit and coffee at its end, 
will save greatly in all staples, and permit the effective use of many 
available foods. Reduce the number of courses served which contain 
the staples that must be saved for export. This means beef, pork prod- 
ucts and wheat. 

Table d'hote service, unless very carefully supervised, results in waste 
in eating and preparation, and should be discouraged in larger hotels and 
restaurants wherever conditions will permit. In circumstances requiring 
table d'hote meals, articles of food not required for export to our Allies 
should be served. The American plan hotel or restaurant should require 
its guests to choose specifically in writing from the items offered, as in 
the European plan, so as to avoid waste. 

The cafeteria system is recommended for employees wherever possible, 
as it facilitates service and eliminates waste. 

Note. — Under various circumstances and with varying conditions 
advisable modifications of our plan and other opportunities for food saving 
will suggest themselves to you. The essential is a sincere and patriotic 
will to save, and thus serve the country. 

Henby B. Endicott, 
Food Administrator. 



In late January, 1918, by proclamation of the President 
of the United States, the plan was modified by asking for 
one wheatless meal a day ia addition to the two wheat less 
days, and by other changes which only partly coflformed 
to the needs of the Massachusetts situation. At about the 
same time a more complete organization was effected by 
Mr. Hall, with six "zone captains" for the city of Boston, 
and three hundred "town captains" in the other counties 
of the State. Under Mr. E. H. Ansell of the New England 
Telephone and Telegraph Company, industrial and school 
restaurants feeding 200,000 persons daily were covered by 
pledges and inspection service. 

It would be impossible to trace in detail the development 
of rules and of methods of appeal and enforcement which 
were part of the plan for reducing by 30 per cent the total 
consumption of wheat in the country for the crop year 

409 



1917-18. The culmination came in the dramatic occasion 
on March 29, when a large body of leading hotel and restau- 
rant men gathered at Washington and responded with fidl 
heart and voice to Mr. Hoover's statement of the extreme 
anxiety of the public crisis, by pledging themselves to con- 
duct their establishments without the use of any wheat 
products whatever. The effect of tliis action directly, and 
also indirectly, by bringing the urgency of the situation home 
to householders and setting them an example, was great 
and far-reaching. The hotel and restaurant keepers most 
sincerely tried to keep their pledge, and to a large and 
highly honorable degree did so, until the supply from the 
new crop permitting, they were released by Mr. Hoover on 
August 1, 1918. The task required much earnest effort 
and patriotic endeavor. As one looks back on the inci- 
dent, the significance of the ringing reply which these men 
gave without hesitation or reserve can hardly be over- 
estimated. 

As an example of the work of the hotels and restaurants 
the following table is interesting. It gives the saving of 
various articles in public eating places in Massachusetts in 
the months of April, May, June and July, 1918, as compared 
with the corresponding period of normal times. 

Pounds 

Meats, 9,5t6,272 

Flour," 5,929,396 

Sugar, 3,373,436 

On the general subject of meat saving, it is significant 
that a committee of wholesale packers and representatives 
of meat houses complained bitterly to the administration 
that their sales of beef had fallen to 25 per cent of normal, 
and their sales of other kinds of meat to less than 50 per 
cent. Nothing, however, shows the willingness on the part 
of the people of Massachusetts to do everything in their 
])ower to help our suffering Allies more plainly than their 
action when told of the great need in Belgium, France and 
England for meat. A letter sent to Mr. Endicott from 

410 



Washington by Mr. John E. McBowman, chairman of the 
Hotel and Restaurant Division, showed that Massachusetts 
saved over one-tenth of all the meat saved in the entire country. 

The supervision of conservation in hotels, restaurants and 
clubs reflected on every side the complex and successive 
phases of the administration's efforts for conservation. 
Many recipes, especially adapted for public eating places, 
were considered, experimented with and issued to the public. 
Much attention was given to the problem of making general 
bakery products with the least practicable use of wheat; 
if possible, with less than the government regulations per- 
mitted. The increased use of milk and of potatoes, economy 
through simplification of menus and by diminished use of 
fats, carefulness in wastes and in disposal of garbage, and 
the collection of fruit stones for gas-mask charcoal were all 
earnestly promoted. Open sugar bowls were abolished. 

On December 23, 1918, restrictions on public eating 
places in Massachusetts were removed. It may be said in 
conclusion that no body of persons in Massachusetts worked 
harder and with better spirit and truer patriotism in the 
civilian support of war measures, and made more fully the 
sacrifices necessary for the war, than the proprietors of 
public eating places, under the general supervision of Mr. 
Hall. 

(b) Baking Division 

Questions relating to bread arose in the summer of 1917, 
and in conference with the leading bakers of Massachusetts, 
Mr. Endicott began work looking to a possible reduction 
in the already high price of bread, and also to the abolition 
of the bakers' customary practice of allowing grocers to 
return to manufacturers stale bread and cake. When the 
Baking Division of the United States Food Administration 
came into full activity in the early autumn, the relation of 
the Massachusetts Food Administration to the whole baking 
industry of the State became close, and touched many 
subjects. 

411 



Some 40 to 50 per cent of all bread eaten in the United 
States is baked in commercial bakeries, and this bread 
offered an immediate point of attack for the conservation 
of wheat. In solving this problem it was necessary to 
secure the co-operation of the bakers, and, as well, volun- 
tary self-denial on the part of purchasers, without which 
the bakers would have been almost helpless. The questions 
related to wheat, sugar (both as an ingredient and in short- 
ening) and fats. 

Until December the work with bakers was on a voluntary 
basis, and in that period some considerable progress was 
made, especially in establishing mutual confidence between 
the administration and the trade. Early in December all 
bakers (including hotels, restaurants and clubs) using not 
less than ten barrels of flour or meal a month were put under 
license, and thereafter a succession of rules was put out by 
the Food Administration which the Massachusetts Adminis- 
tration had to interpret and enforce. The principal rules 
related to the weight of bread (in order to secure uniformity 
in weight and so in price), to the return of stale bread by 
grocers, and to the amount of sugar, shortening and milk 
permitted in bakers' bread. The rule about price was at 
this time limited to the principle that bakers must not take 
greater profits than had been their practice before the 
beginning of the war. 

From the outset the administration received much aid 
from Mr. Thure Hanson, State Commissioner of Weights 
and Measures. Mr. Hanson's previous experience in in- 
vestigating the price of bread sold in the State, and espe- 
cially his large staff of local sealers of weights and meas- 
ures scattered throughout Massachusetts and in constant 
contact with grocers and provision dealers, made it possible 
for the administration to call on him over and over again. 
It repeatedly happened that instructions from Washington 
to furnish immediate statistical information could hardly 
have been met at all without his efficient aid. 

One of the problems was to make sure that foreign- 

412 



speaking bakers understood the regulations; and transla- 
tions of the rules were published in four languages and 
distributed to foreign bakers, and then discussed at meet- 
ings held with them. In the end but little difficulty was 
found even here in enforcing the rules. 

In January, 1918, the gravity of the wheat situation was 
made known, and it became evident that drastic measures 
for conservation of wheat would soon be adopted. Before 
the rules were finally formulated Mr. Endicott invited all 
the 1,800 bakers of the State to meet at the State House. 
Several hundred attended the meeting, heard Mr. Endi- 
cott's explanation of the situation, and recognized that a 
large proportion of substitutes would certainly be required 
in all bakers' bread and other products. The task before 
the bakers was a difficult one, but they accepted the situa- 
tion promptly, and immediately began experiments in the 
necessary change of technical processes. On January 27 
the wheat conservation rules were announced, and all li- 
censed bakers were required to use 20 per cent of substi- 
tutes in their bread. This proportion was later increased, 
but it proved impossible to require of bakers as great a 
proportion of substitutes as could be safely used in bread 
baked at home for immediate household use. 

The organization for the administration and enforcement 
of the regulations for licensed bakers constantly grew in 
the number of persons emploj-ed and in the variety of its 
tasks. The public demand for bread of white appearance, 
and the relatively low price of wheat, increased the tempta- 
tion of bakers to include less than the required substitutes, 
and violation of the rules was difficult to detect because no 
scientific method existed for determining the proportional 
amount of wheat flour contained in mixed bread. The 
work would have been impossible but for the organization 
of the industry itself and the patriotic efforts of the leading 
bakers. In its later labors the Baking Division was much 
concerned with prices, which in the end were virtually fixed 
by the administration. The limitation of the use of sugar 

413 



in bread and cake, including frosting, was also an important 
aim during most of the war. 

The division was able to co-operate with the bakers in 
sending out important scientific information relating to the 
prevention of the bread disease known as "rope;" and in 
this connection, through local officers, tried to secure an 
improvement in the cleanliness of bakeries. Valuable aid 
was received on the scientific side from Prof. Lawrence J. 
Henderson of Harvard University. 

The routine work of the Baking Division, very ably 
handled by Mr. Arthur N. Milliken, its chief, was heavy, 
and engaged a number of persons. The monthly and weekly 
reports which were essential in the enforcement of the sub- 
stitute rules, correspondence with the county food adminis- 
trators, and conferences every day with bakers who found 
difficulties in complying with the rules or had misunder- 
stood them, or who came to complain of unfair competi- 
tion, occupied a great amount of time. 

The very large saving of wheat effected in bakers' prod- 
ucts was due to the friendly and cordial relations which it 
was possible to maintain with the trade, and to the efforts 
of the more experienced bakers in helping the less-informed 
to a knowledge of how to observe the regulations without 
spoiling their product. The bakers of Massachusetts cheer- 
fully submitted to restrictions, and voluntarily co-operated 
in methods of doing their business which meant great in- 
convenience, diminished returns, and in many cases actual 
loss. They fully earned the right to say that they had put 
patriotism above self-interest. 



414 



CHAPTER VII 

FOOD COMMODITIES 

(a) Cereal Division 

Wheat Flour and Cereal "Substitutes" 

The relations of the Food Administration with the cereal 
trades began with the approach of winter in 1917, at which 
time Mr. Endicott laid on Mr. Ratshesky the responsibility 
of securing adequate flour supplies for the State, and of 
regulating its distribution. 

The United States Food Administration, within a few 
days after its organization in August, had licensed the 
millers of wheat and rye flour and had limited their profits 
to the pre-war level. The maximum profit permissible to 
the miller, over the actual expenses, was 25 cents per barrel 
on flour, and 50 cents per ton on the by-products, i.e., wheat 
mill feeds. The millers were allowed to adjust their prices 
on flour and feed in accordance with the relative supply 
and demand of the two together, provided the total profit 
on both classes of products did not exceed the maximum 
above named. The millers were also required by the ad- 
ministration, beginning in the fall of 1917, to extract a 
larger proportion of the wheat kernel in the form of flour 
than had been the trade custom. 

In October, 1917, all wholesale distributors and the larger 
retailers of flour were licensed, and their profits also were 
restricted, supposedly to the pre-war level. The Wash- 
ington Administration soon gave the trades to understand 
that it regarded any margins in excess of 50 to 75 cents per 
barrel for wholesale transactions, and $1.20 per barrel for 
retail transactions, to be larger than the average pre-war 
rate, and consequently cause for revocation of license. 
Measured by percentages, however, there are some indica- 
tions that these figures were actually somewhat lower than 

415 



the average pre-war rate of profit in these trades, since the 
price of flour had greatly increased since 1914. 

The commercial bakeries were put under license by De- 
cember 10, 1917, and their profits and practices controlled 
by the Food Administration; the prices of wheat had been 
stabilized through the oi)erations of the Food Administra- 
tion's Grain Cor])oration; and drastic penalties were pro- 
vided for hoarding by any individual. Therefore the use 
of the most vital foodstuff, wheat, was regulated in sub- 
stantially all of its phases. Yet the exemption of the 
nmltitude of small dealers from license by the terms of the 
Food Control Act seemed likely to impair somewhat the 
administration's power to control distribution. 

Difficulties from the Thirty-Day Rule 

One of the main pillars in Mr. Hoover's food control 
system was the license rule forbidding any distributor of 
flour (and of nearly all other staples) to hold in his possession, 
or under control by contract, a larger supply than would be 
sufficient for his ordinary business requirements for thirty 
days. This rule was designed to prevent speculation and 
also to reduce hoarding. 

It was apparent to the Massachusetts Administration at 
the beginning of the winter that this thirty-day rule on 
flour, which had been made applicable to the whole country, 
would jeopardize New England's necessary su})plies for the 
winter. Distributors near the mills could operate on thirty- 
day reserves; but New England distributors, depending on 
two railway lines from the West, would find their reserves 
exhausted in case, on account of winter weather, the running 
time of flour from tlie mills should slow down from the usual 
two weeks in good weather to two months. Such a slowing 
down did, in fact, occur, and due to the unusual severity 
of the winter, as well as to other impediments to transpor- 
tation, abnormally slow movement continued for al)out 
four months. 

This possibility of a flour famine in Massachusetts, with 

416 



attendant unrest among the foreign population, was fore- 
seen by a number of the flour dealers and brought to the 
attention of the administration. After a meeting with the 
dealers in the latter part of November, 1917, Mr. Endicott 
gave the distributors and bakers special permission to ac- 
cumulate more than thirty days' supply before the trans- 
portation troubles should fully develop. 

In the following January and February, when cars from 
the West were being held up all along the line, the wisdom 
of this action was made clearly evident. The administra- 
tion was approached nearly every day by bakers, dealers 
and some important public and private institutions for 
assistance in securing the minimum of flour necessary' for 
their current use. Not less than one hundred such appli- 
cations were received, and in every case means were found 
to help the applicants. It was often necessary to ask the 
dealers, who had been allowed to obtain larger than thirty- 
day reserves, to go out of their accustomed channels in order 
to provide supplies. During this period Mr. Ratshesky 
was assisted by Mr. C. O. Blood of Lynn. Mr. Blood, 
anticipating still greater difiiculties to come, held conferences 
with distributors on the possibility of adopting flour ration 
cards, similar to the grocers' sugar cards which had l)een 
installed in many places. The necessary complexity of such 
a system was surprising. The mere fact that the people 
would always be getting a part of their flour in the form of 
bread, or other baked goods, suggests the difficulty inherent 
in a rationing program. But the shortage of flour supplies 
never became sufficiently grave to call for such extreme 
measures. 

Prevention of Hoarding 

Throughout the nine months from November, 1917, to 
August, 1918, the administration was keenly alive to the 
danger of private hoarding likely to result from reports of 
flour shortage, which, if it became widespread, was certain 
to intensify shortage. The conspicuous sugar deficiency in 

417 



October, November and December, 1917, had shown what 
happens when an important article of food becomes un- 
comfortably scarce. At the first sign of scarcity of flour, 
a multitude of people would have remembered the sugar 
experience, and have tried to protect themselves on flour. 
An absurd run on salt for a few days in the Boston stores 
showed how easily a panic may arise, even without the 
slightest foundation. 

The suggestion of danger, however, would have itself 
tended to bring on a perilous situation. Accordingly, the 
first cases of imreasonably large supplies of flour in the hands 
of individuals which came to the attention of the adminis- 
tration were dealt with privately by patriotic appeal, and 
no publicity was given. 

Early in December, 1917, Mr. Endicott addressed a 
circular letter to all the retail grocers in the State, strongly 
impressing on them their duty to prevent hoarding, and 
asking them to sell only a small quantity to a customer at 
a time, preferably as low as one-eighth barrel. By the 1st 
of February the license regulations compelled all licensed 
retailers to sell small quantities to consumers, and by this 
time the compulsory use of cereal "substitutes" with wheat 
flour had been inaugurated. It then became safe to talk 
publicly about the wrong of hoarding flour, and reported 
cases of hoarding w^ere dealt wdth more sternly. Several 
women who had purchased barrel lots were obliged to return 
to the grocer their excess over one-eighth barrel. The 
grocer in each case was also summoned and made acquainted 
with the penalties for connivance at hoarding. The county 
administrators dealt with a number of individual cases by 
similar methods, and publicity was given to the cases, to- 
gether with reports of penalties inflicted in other States. 

Report on Flour Census 

In the latter part of March and early in April, 1918, the 
very great need of flour for export to our soldiers and Allies 
was impressed upon the State Food Administrators by Mr. 

418 



Hoover. To brincj this need as forcibly as possible before 
the public a flour census was deemed advisable. This 
measure had the further advantage that, if it should appear 
that any considerable stocks were being hoarded, proper 
steps could be taken to use the stocks and, if necessary, to 
punish the hoarders. 

It was evident from the beginning that the stocks in 
Massachusetts would not be available in large enough units, 
nor in proper packing, to be exported to Europe. It was 
hoped, however, that the inflow of flour into Massachusetts 
might be checked, and our stocks on hand made to last 
until the next harvest, and assistance was asked from whole- 
salers, retailers, hotels, bakeries, institutions and house- 
holds. The wholesalers were requested to send in a card 
showing their stock on hand, and if they had over thirty 
days' supply to obtain a permit to retain the same, with 
an agreement on their part to hold it subject to the orders 
of the Food Administration. Retailers were required to 
make return of their stocks, and if these appeared to be 
considerable and to amount to more than a thirty days' 
supply, they were also required to obtain a similar permit, 
as were likewise the hotels and the bakers and private 
institutions. 

The directors of public institutions were called together 
and the situation explained to them, and they unanimously 
pledged themselves to reduce to a minimum their use of 
wheat flour, and to hold their excess subject to the order 
of the Food Administration. 

The householders' canvass, which involved enormous 
work on the part of the county food administrators, was 
also of the greatest value, and brought home to the house- 
holders the seriousness of the situation and the need of 
individual effort on their part. Householders who had over 
a barrel of flour, where a barrel was more than a thirty days' 
supply, were as a rule required to hold their excess stock 
subject to the order of the Food Administration. A few 
cases of criminal hoarding were punished in other ways. 

419 



At the same time, appeals were made, chiefly through the 
women's organizations, for signatures to a householders' roll 
of honor pledge, by which a large number of householders 
pledged themselves to use no more wheat flour until the 
arrival in Massachusetts of flour from the next harvest, 
due about September 1, 1918. 

The campaign, which was in charge of Mr. W. L. Putnam, 
was concluded at Mr. Hoover's request about the end of 
July, by which time enough flour had been conserved to 
answer the purpose. As a result of the efforts made, im- 
ports of flour into the State decreased from 44,000 barrels 
for the week ending April 13 to 16,000 barrels for the week 
ending June 22, and the amount continued small for sev- 
eral weeks after this. This decrease was accomplished in 
spite of the fact that it was necessary for the Food Adminis- 
tration to supply flour to a large number of transports sail- 
ing with troops from Boston and other New England ports. 
The receipt of flour in Boston in normal times is about 
65,000 barrels a week. 

The information contained in the flour return cards from 
individuals was in most counties not tabulated, although 
the cards were all scrutinized for cases of hoarding. The 
result of the tabulation in one large and representative 
county (Middlesex) is of considerable interest. These re- 
turns were from 54 towns and cities, and the total of cards 
was 36,151. Of this total, only 5,325 cards showed pos- 
session of more than one barrel. The number of cards be- 
tween one and two barrels was 4,863. The cards of two 
barrels or over totaled 462. If we reckon at one and a half 
barrels the amount held by the group between one and 
two barrels, there was in the hands of this class 7,294 bar- 
rels of flour. If the second class be reckoned, at two and 
a half barrels, it represented 1,155 barrels. The total of 
flour in these two classes is not much more than two days' 
supply for metropolitan Boston in normal times. 



420 



Compulsory Use of Cereal "Substitutes" 

The program of the United States Food Administration 
for the conservation of wheat flour by the compulsory sale 
and use of other cereals in combination with it was launched 
on Sunday, January 27, 1918. The fundamental provi- 
sions were that a wholesaler should not sell flour to a retailer, 
nor a retailer to a consumer, unless the customer bought 
at the same time one pound of authorized wheat flour 
*' substitutes" (certain products of corn, oats, barley, rice 
and a few other foods) for each pound of flour; and that 
all commercial bakers must mix 20 to 25 per cent of these 
same substitute cereals in all bread. The pound-for-pound 
rule in the family trade was not made effective immediately, 
as sufficient supplies of substitutes were not yet available 
in Massachusetts, so Mr. Endicott authorized the sale of 
three pounds of flour with one pound of substitutes until 
February 10. Even by this time the supply of substitutes 
was small, and by permission from Washington potatoes 
were for some weeks continued as a substitute. The great 
and unsatisfied demand for substitutes in this period of 
scarcity resulted in very large orders being immediately 
placed with the western mills, and later in an enonnous 
oversupply of cereal products in the Massachusetts market. 
The measures to which this gave rise are described below. 

Considerable criticism was expressed in Massachusetts, 
as doubtless elsewhere, of the different treatment of bakers 
and of household users of flour. The answer was that 
bakers' bread could not be made with more than 25 per 
cent of substitutes, if it were to stand the necessary hatid- 
ling before reaching the consumer. The housewife, on the 
other hand, could use her 50 per cent of substitutes in 
various quick breads containing little or no wheat, and also 
in dishes other than bread, such as puddings and por- 
ridges. The question was complicated by the ruling allow- 
ing public eating places to obtain flour on the 3 to 1 basis 
because they held bakers' licenses. The public eating 

421 



places appeared to have all the facilities of the householder 
for using 50 per cent of substitutes, but the Food Adminis- 
tration treated them as bakers, since it had required them 
to be licensed as such. 

As was to be expected, a number of violations of the 
substitute regulations were soon reported to the Massachu- 
setts Administration. A number of these proved upon in- 
vestigation to be the result of ignorance, and in a large 
percentage of all the cases it was impossible to secure satis- 
factory evidence. Some complaints, a comparatively small 
number, turned out to be deliberate violations, and the 
wrongdoers were punished. 

The weekly "Food Administration Bulletin," containing 
the rules in full and all the changes and interpretations 
made from time to time, was sent to all retail grocers in the 
State, and likewise some 15,000 large posters summarizing 
the flour and substitute regulations. 

After a few weeks the complaints coming to the State 
House diminished perceptibly in number, partly because 
of a great decrease in violations, and partly because of the 
increasing share of the county and local administrators in 
the work. The small retailers who were exempt from li- 
cense were compelled to obey the substitute regulations 
under penalty of having their supplies from the licensed 
wholesalers cut off. A number of wholesale flour dealers 
were brought before the county administrators in April 
and the following months, and some suspensions of license, 
as well as large money contributions to war charities on 
account of sales of flour without substitutes and of excessive 
prices, followed. 

The wheat conservation program of the Food Adminis- 
tration was on the whole a distinguished success. As in- 
dicated above, the people of Massachusetts, as also of the 
other States, took it in good part. The rules were effectively 
enforced by a very small body of officials, and the sales of 
flour throughout the country were shown to have decreased 
50 to 60 per cent for several continuous months. The 

422 



necessary quantities of wheat were sent to Europe, and 
there was no bread shortage at home, although we were 
tided over to the 1918 harvest by the narrowest of margins. 
On September 1, 1918, the proportion of substitutes re- 
quired was reduced for bakers and wholesalers to 20 per 
cent, i.e., 1 pound of substitutes to 4 pounds of wheat flour. 
The list of substitutes was also somewhat reduced, substan- 
tially to corn meal, corn flour, rye flour and barley flour. 
This program was based on the assumption that the war 
would continue until the harvest of 1919. Immediately 
after the signing of the armistice, on November 11, the 
substitute regulations were all repealed and the use of 
straight white flour again permitted. The considerable con- 
servation which the 80-20 rules had accomplished during 
these months, together with the abundant wheat harvest 
of 1918, had already resulted in a great accumulation of 
wheat flour, the handling and financing of which was very 
difficult for the government as well as for the dealers. By 
the end of 1918 the flour situation in Massachusetts was the 
reverse of that of 1917, every distributor and consumer 
having provided himself with large stocks. 



The Food Administration's Purchase of Surplus 
Cereals for Export 

In May, 1918, the glut of substitute cereals already re- 
ferred to took place in the markets of Massachusetts, the 
same as elsewhere on the Atlantic seaboard. Among the 
causes of this condition may be distinguished the following. 
In February and March, when the rules were first made, 
a great demand arose for the substitutes. These coarse 
grain products are manufactured chiefly in the central part 
of the United States, so that in addition to waiting for the 
production to readjust itself, the eastern markets were 
compelled to wait for transportation. The short available 
supplies and the large demand naturally resulted in a rising 
market, and numerous speculative purchases were made 

423 



besides those from actual consumers. The rising prices of 
the substitutes were the occasion of much criticism, and 
caused great anxiety to the Food Administration, which 
had no legal authority to limit the farmers' price for their 
grain. The release of transportation also resulted in the 
sudden arrival, all at once, of supplies previously ordered. 
Another contributing factor was the diminished consump- 
tion of all breadstuffs, due to the unpalatable nature of the 
substitute mixtures. The orders for cereals had apparently 
been placed on the assumption that the total amount of 
bread used would be about normal. A less important 
cause was the removal on April 1 of rye flour and meal from 
the bakers' substitute list. The Washington Administra- 
tion believed that the stocks of rye must be protected in 
that way for the foreign populations who depend upon 
rye bread. In Massachusetts, in spite of the displeasure 
of Washington, permission was given to bakers to use rye 
until INlay 1; but this relief was not sufficient, and when 
the glut of cereals first arose there were very large inactive 
stocks of rye products. 

Early in May the Massachusetts Food Administration 
became concerned about the dangerous condition of the 
flour trade. The increasing number of complaints of re- 
jections of substitute arrivals by consignees was one symp- 
tom, and many notes of alarm were heard from the trade 
as to how the flood of cereals which was about to come in 
could be taken care of. Clearly, much of the corn meal, 
rye meal, barley flour, and perhaps of the other substitutes, 
could not be carried through the summer, because in hot 
weather these commodities become rancid from the fat they 
contain, or contract weevils. The poor quality of much 
of the milling, due to the attraction of many inexperienced 
concerns into the field, was a large element in the situation. 

Mr. Ratshesky gave the matter almost his entire atten- 
tion for several weeks. Careful inquiry showed that at 
least 80,000 barrels of cereals should be taken out of the 
market entirely, in order that the balance might be handled 

424 



before the warm summer weather would cause it to spoil. 
Several remedies were discussed. These were the possible 
export of barley or rye flour through the Wheat Export 
Company (the Allied purchasing agency); educational 
measures in the trades as to the best methods of storage, 
and as to using in the first instance the more perishable 
goods; embargo of further shipments into Massachusetts 
from the mills; and the stimulation of consumption of the 
more perishable goods by temporary change of the baking 
regulations, as well as by instruction to consumers. To 
restore rye flour and meal to the bakers' list of substitutes 
would have merely improved the position of the rye holders 
at the expense of the owners of corn meal, since the bakers 
would have used rye products instead of corn meal or other 
substitutes which were likewise superabundant. 

A corn meal campaign was immediately started through 
the household conservation and publicity agencies, remind- 
ing the people that corn meal was good food and abundant, 
and that the price had become relatively low. The Food 
Administration at Washington was also urged to take action, 
either through the bakers' rules or otherwise, in order to take 
care of the great surplus. Under this pressure and similar 
appeals from other New England States, and from New 
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and other points, the pur- 
chase was authorized about May 1 of several cargoes of 
substitute cereals by the Food Administration Grain Cor- 
poration, for export to neutral countries of Europe. A 
steamer was to be furnished at Boston by the Grain Cor- 
poration, and in order to adjust the cargoes to the tonnage 
allotted, the entire purchasing for New England was to be 
done through the Massachusetts office. A 5,000 ton steamer 
was in Boston Harbor almost before the arrival of final 
instructions to purchase, but the administration's informa- 
tion as to the location of stocks was so adequate, and the 
help given by certain members of the trade so efficient, 
that it was possible to load the steamer within eight or ten 
days after she reached the dock. 

425 



Although by this means 50,000 barrels had been removed 
from the market, an embarrassing surphis still remained in 
New England, and tlie Grain Corporation was prevailed 
upon to make further purchases and furnish three more 
steamers. The total quantity of cereals thus purchased 
through the Massachusetts Food Administration in New 
England for export was over 200,000 l)arrels, and the sellers 
received more than $2,000,000 from the Grain Corporation 
for the goods. Nearly three-fourths of this total for New 
England came from INIassachusetts concerns. The under- 
taking was all accomplished by July 8, 1918, and the course 
of the market thereafter showed that the enterprise had 
been entirely beneficial. No shortage of substitutes de- 
veloped, and corn meal remained abundant. There was 
almost no complaint of inequitable treatment, and the four 
cargoes took virtually all the exportable goods that were 
offered in New England. 

Two other difficulties with cereals may be mentioned as 
illustrating the complexity of the breadstuff rearrangements 
which the Food Administration was compelled to undertake. 
At the time of the glut of corn products, rye flour, etc., just 
mentioned, a surplus of graham and entire wheat flour was 
also reported from many concerns. These commodities had 
been popular during the period of voluntary wheatless days 
and wheatless meals, and the trade had been supplying 
unusually large quantities. The compulsory regulations for 
substitutes almost put an end to the use of entire wheat 
and graham flour by householders, and the wholesale and 
retail grocers were left with a number of carloads on hand, 
which were in danger of spoilage or weevils before the 
summer was over. It was out of the cfuestion to allow a 
pure wheat product like graham and whole wheat to be 
used as a wheat flour substitute. For a long time the 
Federal Administration at Washington refused to let Massa- 
chusetts give special permits for the sale of graham flour to 
householders without substitutes. An attem])t was then 
made to get the bakers voluntarily to use uj) the stocks of 

42G 



graham, but they reported they could not increase their 
sales of graham bread. The administration published some 
graham propaganda for householders, but no appreciable 
relief was given until about the middle of August, when 
the Food Administration relaxed its rules and permitted 
existing stocks to be sold to families without substitutes. 

A somewhat similar situation occurred in the case of plain 
white corn flakes, one brand of which is called "Cream of 
Maize." This product was put on the market during the 
period of the 50-50 substitute regulations, and as it ap- 
peared to be useful only in baking, was allowed as a sub- 
stitute for householders. It gained considerable vogue, and 
a number of carloads were in process of distribution through 
the State by the 1st of September, when the substitute 
rules were changed; plain corn flakes were pronounced to 
be no substitute, and the market for them as a human food 
was gone. An effort was made to secure special dispensa- 
tion from Washington for this product, but without success. 
About the 1st of November permits were given for such 
stocks to be sold as a substitute, but soon after all substi- 
tute regulations were abolished, and so the product was 
still unsalable. As it could not be exported, apparently 
the only disposition left for it was for animal feed, 

A second export of surplus substitute cereals was under- 
taken by the Food Administration through its Grain Cor- 
poration in November, 1918, when the armistice and the 
great wheat crop of 1918 led to the abolition of the sub- 
stitute requirements. This export, instead of being confined 
to the eastern seaboard, was undertaken throughout the 
United States. The consumers and trades were urged to 
consume the substitutes as far as possible, and the induce- 
ment for them to do so was strong, because the prices were 
usually favorable compared with wheat flour. At this time 
the Grain Corporation secured a special representative for 
New England, Mr. A. I. Merigold, and placed him in the 
Massachusetts office. The Food Administrators of the other 
States were called in for conference, and a plan of procedure 

427 



worked out for securing offers. Ships were secured which 
took substantially all offerings of proper quality from New 
England, as follows: — ■ 



Sacks 



Barrels 



Corn products, 
Barley flour, 
Rye flour, . 
Victory flour, 
Wheat flour, 



143,715 


73,305 


33,441 


17,432 


17,660 


9,399 


8.343 


4,698 


16,560 


9,998 



(b) Grain and Feed Division 

In the spring of 1917 prices of all feeds were advancing 
sharply, following the advance in the price of wheat, and 
dealers were uncertain of supplies. Consumers on their 
part were suspicious of the grain dealers. The first work 
of the Committee on Food Production was, therefore, to 
assist in securing the delivery of shipments of grain, par- 
ticularl}' cars consigned to co-operative associations. The 
Committee also urged a larger home production of corn 
and oats. 

The second phase of the work in grain and feeds came 
in August and September, 1917, and concerned the man- 
ner of transacting business. One difficulty was that the 
same jobber varied his practice in this respect in different 
localities. 

The evil to be remedied is made sufficiently clear by the 
following circular letter, which was sent out after a con- 
ference with the jobbers, in which their attention was 
called to the provisions of the Food Control Act and to other 
legislation : — 

October 5, 1917. 
To Feed Manufacturers and Wholesale and Retail Feed and Grain Dealers. 
The attention of the Federal and State Food Administration has re- 
cently been called to the fact that it has been more or less difficult for 
farmers' co-operative associations and also large farmers who have the 



428 



facilities for taking care of carload shipments of feed and grain (both as 
to finance and to storage) to buy grain and feed at wholesale prices. 

The Federal and State Food Administrator feels that our State and 
national welfare demand that it be possible for the large producer, who 
is in this case the farmer, to purchase his feed and grain at the same prices 
and under the same conditions that the retail feed dealer buys, in order 
that he may, in turn, produce his dairy and other products at a mini- 
mum cost. 

In order to assist in accomplishing this object, the Administrator is 
asking all feed manufacturers and all wholesale feed and grain dealers to 
sell all consumers, who can purchase as outlined above, at the same price 
as they are selling the retail feed dealer. 

It is not the desire of the Administrator to disturb any present methods 
of transacting business where those methods perform a necessary public 
service. It is not his desire or intention, where it can be avoided, to 
suggest any plan of operation which will work any material hardship on 
any retail feed dealer who is performing his function properly. 

Very truly yours, 

H. B. Endicott, 
Federal and State Food Administrator. 

< 
The majority of the grain and feed trade wilHngly com- 
pHed with the request of this circular as soon as it l)ecame 
evident that all must come under it alike. Such firms as 
refused were warned that continuance of their practice 
would lead to their retiring altogether from business with 
farmers. 

In November, 1917, difficulties about the supply of feeds 
began to arise, due to a variety of causes. Transportation 
facilities were congested and arrivals badly delayed. The 
Federal wheat saving campaign had led to a diminished 
output of wheat feeds, since a larger proportion of the berry 
was applied to human consumption. Of the by-product 
feeds made from corn, oats and barley the value was little 
known. Millers were limited to a fixed margin of profit 
per barrel of flour, and were required to take a profit of 
50 cents per ton on feeds. 

A still further difficulty came from the limitation of stocks 
which dealers might have on hand or under control. In 
order to make possible a due supply of grain and feed in 

4'29 



New England in the face of winter transportation risks, 
the Massachusetts Food Administration had to secure for 
New England dealers exceptions to the new regulations, 
even at the cost of some incidental increase in prices. 

A larger ordering of stocks was permitted; and had it 
not been for the courage of New England jobbers in making 
large calls on western supplies, it is probable that much 
live stock in New England would have suffered and some 
have perished. 

In December and January various classes of grain and 
feed dealers were placed under license, and a fixed price 
placed on wheat feeds. The relatively high price of other 
grains led western hog and beef feeders to sell corn and 
oats, and purchase wheat feeds, at the same time that the 
nonnal production of wheat feeds was diminished. Thus a 
variety of circumstances, together with the most difficult 
winter for transportation known for many years, left New 
England with almost no stocks of wheat feed and no pros- 
pect of getting any. Corn, oats, and barley feeds, too, 
were hard to get, and in the months of January, February 
and early March live stock were threatened with famine. 
At many times the supply of oats available to feed Boston's 
20,000 team horses was not adequate for more than three 
days. An arrangement was made with the Food Adminis- 
tration Grain Corporation, so that if an actual failure of 
supply took place the stock of oats in the Mystic, Hoosac 
and Albany elevators awaiting shipment to Europe could 
be drawn upon. The committee of dealers agreed that such 
stocks as were available should be divided among them in 
order that each might take care of his local trade. 

In February, 1918, after a series of conferences in Boston 
and New York witli wholesale and retail dealers, rules were 
issued relating to profits and to resales; and in March a 
report of licensed grain dealers began to be required. Sworn 
statements showed the inventory at the beginning of the 
quarter, amounts expended for purchase of grains, amounts 
expended in the transaction of business, the inventory at 

430 



the end of the quarter, and the total amount received for 
sale of grain and feed and from other revenue. From the 
first report, March 31, 1918, it was evident that many grain 
dealers had taken very large profits. The most flagrant 
cases were dealt with directly; others were warned that if 
continued such profits would be regarded as excessive. In 
the majority of cases it was felt that it would be unfair to 
judge the business by the profits of a single quarter. After 
various changes in the rules about prices and margins of 
profits, the Federal Food Administration fell back on the 
principle that the net profits of wholesalers should not be 
greater than 4 per cent per annum, and that for retailers 
6 per cent per annum would not be considered unreasonable; 
and that 15 per cent should be the maximum margin in the 
case of any sale of any commodity. The sworn report of 
grain dealers at the end of the second quarter, June 30, 
showed that many dealers who had made substantial profits 
in the first quarter of the year had suffered a substantial 
loss in the second quarter. 

During the latter part of March and April the shipments 
delayed in transit by the winter's congestion arrived all at 
once; and the market for many commodities broke, with seri- 
ous loss to the trade, — - a loss in many cases of as much as 
$25 a ton on corn products. The government gave relief by 
allowing retailers for all feeding stuffs, except wheat feeds, 
a margin on a percentage basis instead of as a fixed charge, 
and thus made it possible for most dealers to carry through 
their year's business at a reasonable (although strictly 
regulated) profit. 

On July 1 a new schedule of wheat prices was announced, 
reducing the delivery price of feeds to a figure much lower 
than before. The differential between various grades of 
feeds was reduced at the same time. These changes were 
beneficial to the interests of eastern cattle feeders. 

The further depression, however, of wheat feed prices 
caused heavier purchasing by western farmers, with the 
result that New England could purchase no wheat feeds 

431 



at all, and again the Grain and Feed Division had to ])resent 
to Washington the needs of New England. Help was given 
from Washington, and later a rule was made requiring that 
wheat feeds be distributed at the same ratio as in pre-war 
times, although the rule was so difficult of enforcement 
that not until the close of the war was New England able 
to secure adequate supplies of wheat feeds. 

Another work of the division was in getting local dealers 
to install segregated accounts. It was found that many 
retail grain dealers combined the grain business with a 
coal or lumber business, or with a general store. Com- 
monly these dealers had no certain knowledge as to what 
return such department of their business was bringing in. 
The reports required by the Federal Food Administration 
made necessary some basis of segregated costs, and many 
conferences were held in the office of the Food Administra- 
tion in assisting grain and feed dealers in this direction. 

In conclusion, the head of the division reported that in 
his opinion, during the war very few of the grain dealers of 
the State were making excessive profits on their business, 
although many of them were charging very high prices. 
This situation was due to excessive credit given; to un- 
willingness to make a reduction for cash, and for delivery 
direct from the car on arrival; and to lack of capital. 

The inability of small dealers to meet the needs of cash- 
paying customers was the real reason for the development 
of co-operative organizations. It seems also probable that 
chain grain stores, parallel to chain grocery stores, will 
arise and be economically advantageous. 

Milling of Massachusetts-grown Wheat 

Before the outbreak of the war and the food production 
campaign of 1917, in the State of Massachusetts hardly 
250 acres were planted with wheat. In 1918 at least 2,500 
acres of wheat were planted. When the product of these 
new wheat fields was threshed, the question of milling im- 
mediately arose. 

432 



The Food Administration milling regulations were strict, 
requiring full reports as to percentage of extraction and the 
separation of by-products, and were suited only to wheat- 
producing areas. Realizing this, the Massachusetts Food 
Administration authorized county food administrators to 
issue permits to local millers for the milling of Massachusetts- 
grown wheat, to serve in lieu of the milling licenses. In 
this way mills of the State capable of producing entire wheat 
flour, and the few small mills capable of producing white 
flour, were enabled to take care of the output of the farmers' 
wheat. Had the Federal rules been rigidly enforced, the 
wheat would have been fed to the annuals of the farmers 
who had raised it. 

(c) Potato Committee 

The earlier efforts regarding potato production have al- 
ready been described. In July, 1918, the newly created 
Food Administration took up the subject with reference 
to the 1918 crop. A conference of representatives from all 
New England was held on July 30, and a Potato Committee, 
including the president of Harvard College, a labor repre- 
sentative, and a leading banker, with members from other 
States, began active work. The distribution problem was 
found to center in the provision of sufficient storage facili- 
ties, since the delivery to market of the Maine crop was the 
responsibility of the railroads, particularly of the Bangor 
and Aroostook Company. 

The Committee feared hasty sales by farmers at low 
prices, with resulting fluctuation and speculation, subse- 
quent high prices, small profits and discouragement of pro- 
duction for 1918. The Committee was, therefore, prepared 
to buy with the aid of private capital large quantities of pota- 
toes for storage, and so to stabilize the market. Elaborate 
plans were also made for local storage throughout the State. 

The crop, however, proved smaller than had been antici- 
pated, fair prices ruled, and intervention by the Committee 
was not needed. In the spring of 1918 a very energetic 

433 



and interesting campaign for the increased use of potatoes 
was made at the instance of Washington by the women's 
office, l)iit it was liardly necessary in INIassachusetts. The 
production conditions for 1918 were normal. 

(d) Federal Milk Commission for New England 

The price of milk has always been a subject of discussion 
and a source of irritation to producers, dealers and con- 
sumers. Early in the year 1917 the Food Production Com- 
mittee saw that the price of milk would surely advance 
with advancing costs of feed and labor. The advance 
might be excessive if too large a shortage developed and 
demand exceeded supply; or, on the other hand, it might 
be insufficient to insure the continuance of dairy production. 
Because of these dangers the Food Production Committee, 
as elsewhere described, provided funds for the making of 
a survey of the costs of milk production. 

When the Food Administration was organized in July, 
it was hoped that the subject of milk might be avoided. 
In August, however, announcement was made that on a 
given date prices would advance, the reasons given being 
the advance in the cost of processing and delivery, and the 
increased price paid to producers. Representatives of con- 
sumers immediately protested. A conference of several of 
the larger dealers was called, and the matter carefully 
discussed between them and the Food Administration. As 
a result of the recurrence of these difficulties, the matter of 
price was taken up at a larger conference of all the dealers 
who could be reached, together with the officers of the New 
England Milk Producers' Association, who had announced 
that ])roducers nuist secure larger returns for milk or go 
out of business. A Milk Committee was appointed from 
the personnel of Ihe Food Administration, as follows: — 

Philip R. Allen, Chairman. 
A. Lawrence Lowell. | Joseph B. Russell. 

Robert Winsor. | J. Frank O'Hare. 

434 



This Committee held conferences with producers and 
consumers. 

The figures which had been secured by the survey pre- 
viously mentioned were available for the Committee, and 
on the basis so obtained the demands of producers were 
approved as reasonable. The price agreed upon for the 
months of August and September was 8 cents per quart 
delivered in Boston, subject to deductions for freight, country 
plants and can rental. At the same time, consumers' prices 
were discussed with dealers, who argued impending bank- 
ruptcy imless they could be given relief. 

Another relief measure suggested was that milk stations 
be opened at various points in the city. One of the large 
firms agreed to supply milk at a cost of 10 cents per quart, 
provided storekeepers who furnished stations would resell 
without profit. At the same time, prices to retail and 
wholesale trade were approved. Prices agreed upon at this 
time were as follows: to producers, 7f cents per quart, 
f. o. b., Boston; retail price, 14 cents per quart. 

The milk stations were opened with much advertising, 
and their business for the first few days was enonnous. 
But new developments came in to upset the original calcu- 
lations. Storekeepers who were not receiving milk at the 
same price as the low-price stations complained of discrimi- 
nation. Other concerns went into the field, and for many 
days a cut-throat milk war was waged which threatened 
bankruptcy to all concerned. 

In the meantime Massachusetts was not the only State 
suffering from milk problems. New York, Illinois, Pennsyl- 
vania, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and other communities 
were involved in more or less violent dissension, producers 
claiming ruinous losses, dealers claiming ruinous costs, and 
consumers claiming prohibitive prices. 

A conference was then called in Washington, and repre- 
sentatives of several States, including Massachusetts, ex- 
pressed the belief that regional milk commissions should be 
established by the Food Administration. It was urged that 

435 



New England be treated as a unit, because while the large 
consuming markets are in the three southern States, the 
large producing areas lie in the three northern ones. 

Meanwhile the dealers, who were engaged in disastrous 
competition, ai)i)ealed to Washington for helj), and agreed 
to the idea of a milk commission. Price levels were estab- 
lished which were to hold until the commission could review 
the evidence of costs. The contracting parties to this agree- 
ment were the New England Milk Producers' Association 
and the larger distributors, together with representatives of 
the Independent Milk Dealers' Association. It was further 
agreed that if either party had sustained losses by the con- 
tinuance of the price agreed upon at the time of signing 
the agreement, these losses should be recouped in the period 
for which the commission fixed the price. 

In accordance with this plan a New England Milk Com- 
mission was appointed by Mr. Hoover: — 

Philip R. Allen, Chairman. 
A. W. Gilbert, Secretary. 



George F. Morris, New Hampshire. 
Elbert S. Brighani, Vermont. 
Robert Seoville, Connecticut. 
John S. Murdock, Rhode Island. 
Walter H. Sawyer, Maine. 
Robert Winsor. 

Dudley N. Hartt (assistant secretary for a time). 

John D. AYillard (secretary for five months). 



A. Lawrence Lowell. 
Josepli B. Russell. 
J. Frank O'Hare. 
James O. Jordan. 
Reginald W. Bird. 
Henry B. Endicott. 



To this Commission was given power to ascertain the 
costs of production and distribution of milk in Boston, and, 
if it seemed advisable, in other New England cities, and on 
the basis of these determined costs, to fix prices to producers 
and to consumers which would yield a reasonable profit to 
both producer and distributor. 

With this task before them the Commission held hearings 
in the latter part of December, 1917. Ev^idence was heard 
from specialists who had made the survey in the various 
States on the cost of production. The method of procedure 

436 



was outlined, and the figures resulting from this survey sub- 
jected to analysis and question. As these were published 
in pamphlet form by the Boston Chamber of Commerce in 
a complete report, it is unnecessary to discuss them in 
detail here. On the basis of the findings of the Commission, 
])rices which dealers should pay to producers were fixed for 
the period from January 1 to April 1, 1918 (see Appendix, 
page 567). 

Evidence was then taken concerning the costs of dis- 
tributing milk. An audit had been made of the accounts 
of distributors, both large and small, under the direction 
of the Attorney-General of Massachusetts. Thanks to his 
cordial assistance the Commission was enabled to use the 
results of this survey, and on the basis of these figures a 
price was set for the retail and wholesale trade. 

It was found that in previous experience surplus quan- 
tities of milk had caused competitive underbidding on the 
part of milk distributors to wholesale, or can, trade. The 
losses sustained in such sale of milk, at less than the cost 
of distribution, were met by the price to householders. 
The same was the case with regard to bottled milk delivered 
to stores. 

At this stage of the work the Commission was swamped 
by complaints, especially with regard to irresponsible dealers, 
who, by slighting sanitary precautions and by failure to 
pay farmers, succeeded in cutting under the established 
])rice. Further trouble resulted from the difficulty of co- 
ercing unlicensed distributors doing a business of less than 
$100,000, and who did only a retail trade. The case of 
farmers who retailed their own product was not touched 
by the Commission. Neither did the Commission attempt 
to fix prices for special grades of milk (certified, inspected, 
etc.). 

As the end of the first three months' period drew near, 
the dealers began to complain bitterly of surplus, a term 
the meaning of which is explained below, and of the fact 
that the price to farmers must go down as surplus increased. 

437 



The Connnission tried to devise a means of determining a 
price for surplus, and assessing the loss occasioned there- 
from upon those who caused it. It was conceded by all 
parties that surplus had been a stumbling block as between 
dealers and producers in time past, but no agreement in 
regard thereto had ever been reached. So much did the 
surplus involve, that the Commission was prepared to with- 
draw unless both parties — producers and distributors — 
agreed to assist in working out some sort of surplus plan 
which would determine the loss, and assess that loss on 
those producing it. 

The surplus plan was finally adopted and became effec- 
tive May 1, 1918, when Philip R. Allen was appointed Milk 
Administrator for New England. It was his task to super- 
vise, under the control of the Food Administration, the work 
of the distributors and producers in the matter of record 
systems and cost determination. 

Under the so-called surplus plan the ]VIilk Commission 
fixed prices for milk for both farmers and dealers. The 
milk product supplied by the farmers was held to consist 
of two parts: first, that milk which the dealers were able 
to resell to the public as whole milk, either at wholesale or 
retail; secondly, the "surplus milk," that is, milk taken 
over by the dealer but which he was unable to resell as 
whole milk, and which, consequently, went into manufac- 
tured by-products. For dealers, wholesale and retail prices 
to be charged to the public were fixed by the Commission. 
For farmers, a fixed price was established for the resold milk, 
as defined above. For surplus milk (not resold as whole 
milk), the price to be paid to the farmer was to be on the 
basis of the return received when this portion of the milk 
product was made into manufactured by-product, the 
dealers having agreed to manufacture these by-products 
without profit to themselves. During the spring months 
the quantity of surplus milk is usually large, but diminishes 
rapidly during the summer and fall, and in the latter part 
of the year there is no surplus; in fact, during these months 

438 



dealers usually have to search for sources of milk to supply 
their trade. 

Under this plan the Milk Administrator was to receive 
sworn statements from milk distributors each month, stating 
the exact disposition of all of the milk which they had re- 
ceived from producers, and to determine market prices for 
the various surplus products. The price paid to farmers 
was made up by the price fixed by the Commission for 
whole milk and the prices received for surplus by-products. 
This plan enabled the Commission to fix prices for milk 
which entered regularly into the wholesale and retail trade 
without regard to manufactured by-products. The plan 
proved so successful that it was adopted quite generally 
throughout the United States by dealers and producers, 
and was continued by dealers and producers in New England 
since the expiration of the term of the Commission. 

The Milk Commission continued to hold hearings, and 
fixed prices usually for one month at a time. These prices 
were based upon sworn evidence from producers and dealers. 
The secretary of the Commission, Dr. Gilbert, was author- 
ized to send at intervals questionnaires to thousands of 
milk producers throughout New England for the purpose 
of receiving sworn evidence as to the actual labor and feed 
costs prevailing. 

In order to get accurate information in regard to the 
cost of distributing milk, the Commission, with the aid 
of accounting experts, formulated a uniform method of re- 
porting costs, which was used by the various dealers and 
resulted in bringing the data concerning costs before the 
Commission on a uniform and comparable basis. 

The prices fixed by the Commission were generally ac- 
ceptable to all parties. The producers evidently continued 
their business without diminution, and with possibly a 
slight improvement in country conditions during the year. 
The milk dealers received a return which might be con- 
sidered fair under war conditions, although not as large 
as that received by most business concerns, nor as large as 

439 



would be considered sound business in normal times. The 
consumers were generally satisfied with the prices, as is 
evidenced by the steady increase in the consumption of 
milk. 

When the armistice was signed, the work of the Com- 
mission had been so generally acceptable to all parties that, 
because of existing agreements between the Commission and 
the producers and dealers, it was allowed to continue its 
activities until April 1, 1919. 

In conclusion it may be said that the work of the Com- 
mission served several useful jjinposes: first, the prices 
fixed, based on careful study, seemed to be fair ones, and 
as a result of these the industry was continued without 
disorganization throughout the war period; secondly, the 
work of the Commission brought about a stability, and 
created a confidence w^hich was indispensable; thirdly, the 
surplus plan and the system of uniform cost reporting are 
notable contributions to the milk business, valuable not 
only in New" England in war time, but throughout the 
country during peace times, as well; and fourthly, the 
Commission under its warrant was also able to bring about 
certain economies in the production and distribution of 
milk which helped materially to prevent costs from rising 
to unusually high figures. 

The whole question of milk, its production and distribution, 
was seriously handicapped by the surprising ignorance met 
by the Commission at every turn. A facetious illustration 
of this will be found in the point of view entertained by 
a certain sergeant stationed at one of our military camps. 
The strictest orders had been issued against the infringement 
of any of the farmer's rights, when the sergeant caught one 
of his men, in flagrante delicto, milking one of the farmer's 
cows, and the pail half full. After much pleading on the 
part of the culprit the sergennt agreed not to report him, 
adding: "But see to it that every drop is put back." 



440 



(e) Campaign for Wider Use of Dairy Products 

Believing that the vahie of milk and milk products had 
never been fully realized by the consuming public, the 
Food Administration co-operated with the Massachusetts 
Agricultural College and the State Department of Agri- 
culture in various campaigns to promote the use of dairy 
products. In the late summer and fall of 1917 an illustrated 
circular was prepared urging the wider use of dairy prod- 
ucts. This was issued by the Food Administration and the 
Dairy Bureau of the Massachusetts Department of Agri- 
culture in very large quantities, urging particularly the use 
of sufficient milk for children and invalids. Posters setting 
forth the value of milk as a food were also endorsed by the 
Food Administrator. 

in the summer of 1918 a campaign was carried on at the 
instance of Washington to increase the use of cottage cheese. 
Specialists gave demonstrations in many parts of the State. 
Several interesting menus were worked out in which the 
entire meal was based on milk and milk products. The 
result of all this was that the market demand for cottage 
cheese through retail stores was materially increased. Al- 
though at that time the supply of milk w^as diminishing in 
consequence of the demand for export butter and the re- 
sulting diversion of milk to butter factories, yet enough 
was accomplished to prove that soft cheeses have great 
possibilities in the markets of the future, and to convince 
many householders that their home manufacture is neither 
difficult nor unprofitable. 

Special milk consumption campaigns were also under- 
taken bv the Federal Milk Commission for New England. 



'&' 



(f) Committee on Fish 

One of Mr. Hoover's first announcements was a state- 
ment that meat of every kind, especially pork, beef and 
mutton, were most seriously needed by the Allies, and would 
be in still greater demand for our own armies when they 
reached Europe. Following the example of Canada the 

441 



Massachusetts Food Administration accordingly appointed 
a Committee on Fish, in the behef that an increased use of 
fish would decrease the consumption of meat, and thereby 
effect a substantial saving of the latter. The Committee 
consisted of — • 

James J. Phelan, Chairman. 

Matthew Luce, Secretary. 

George H. Lyman. 

John F. Stevens. 

It seemed to the Coinmittee that Massachusetts, tradi- 
tionally the largest fish consuming State in the I^nion, and 
with an increasing fish business, was in a position to lead the 
way in such a change. A meeting of the New England, 
Boston and Massachusetts Hotel Men's Associations was 
called, and the increased use of fish in public eating houses 
thoroughly discussed. It was agreed by all parties that, 
provided the fish supply were augmented, hotels and res- 
taurants would be able to set a pace that would furnish an 
excellent foundation for appeals to consumers in i)rivate 
households. 

The Committee was at once confronted with a demand 
that the fish industry be investigated by the Food Adminis- 
tration for the purpose of more stringent control. As both 
the Federal and State governments had this in hand, it 
seemed not only unnecessary but very unwise for the Food 
Administration to duplicate efforts, and so create confu- 
sion and a natural feeling of resentment on the part of other 
agencies already in the field. 

The Food Administration believed that its appointed 
task was rather to bring about a proper distribution of 
supplies and effective conservation of exportable foods, and 
that it should concern itself with four major problems: — 

1. An increase in the catch of fisli. 

2. A larger consumption of fish by an instructed public. 

3. An educational campaign relative to the proper cooking and utili- 
zation of fish. 

4. Assistance in the matter of transportation. 

442 



It was evident, with the prevaihng high prices and a 
demand outrunning the supply, that notliing could be done 
to stimulate increased consumption unless anticipated by 
increased production, and the Committee bent its efforts to 
that end. Of the fleet of 17 trawlers which were in service 
at the beginning of the season of 1917, the United States 
government had commandeered 13, 8 going to the United 
States Navy, 2 to Canada, and 3 to Russia. The produc- 
tive capacity of these 13 trawlers was not less than 50,000,000 
pounds per annum, at the most conservative estimate. 
Several trawlers were on the ways in process of construc- 
tion, and in addition a large number of schooners and small 
boats were being completed for service. About 400 schooners' 
and 1,000 smaller boats had composed the fishing fleet in 
1917. As the government had already taken measurements 
of schooners and trawlers on the ways, it was expected by 
their owners that as soon as the boats were laimched they 
would be requisitioned. This acted as a serious deterrent to 
the men who had been counting on their use. 

The Committee immediately took up with the Washing- 
ton office of the Food Administration and with the Naw 
Department the return of these boats to the fishing service. 
Mr. Phelan, after visiting the authorities at Washington, in 
behalf of the Committee, was convinced that the return of 
boats already taken was out of the question. He was able, 
however, to urge that the government must release its 
claim on boats in process of construction, and especially on 
schooners and lighter craft which had been measured and 
were under consideration for the navy. The result was 
that no more trawlers were taken from the fleet during the 
season of 1917. The new boats added to the fleet were of 
the more modern type, and their catch reached at times over 
300,000 pounds a trip per boat. 

In the season of 1918 the government again depleted the 
fleet by taking four more trawlers, but in the meantime the 
entry of many more small boats into the fishing service 
partly offset this depletion. It is probable that the loss of 

443 



iheso last boats requisitioned did not seriously reduce the 
amount of fish coniing' into I he market as nmch as did the 
taking of the first thirteen trawlers in 1017. 

One of the last activities of the Committee on Fish was to 
take up with the Navy Department the matter of adequate 
protection for both steam and sailing vessels. After submarine 
attacks had begun on the Banks, it was but natural that 
owners and crews should hesitate to venture out unless they 
were given armament or protection by naval patrol crat't. 
This proved satisfactory to both owners and crews, and 
thereafter fishing continued without serious interruption. 

The second ]>r()blcm was that of the losses sustained by 
crews from enlistment in tlu^ naAv. The Committee urged 
that men be encouraged to stay in the fishing service, as 
this method would in the end better subserve the country's 
needs, but deemed it unwise to ask for the return of men 
who had already enlisted. While loss of men to naval and 
merchant marine service was continuous during the war, the 
Committee remained convinced that the work of skilled 
men in the fishing fleets was quite as necessary to the de- 
sired result as service in the armed forces. 

Again, early in the year 1918, the fishing industry was 
seriously crippled because of dissensions between owners and 
fishermen's union.?. Indirect labor problems also came up, 
due to the fact that fishermen generally work on what is 
termed a "lay," or interest in the catch, so that their re- 
turns are in part based on a percentage of the total ])rofit 
of the tri]). The men strongly maintained that the i)rices 
])aid fishermen were too low, at the same time charging 
<listributors and middlemen with making excessive i)rofits. 

On the other hand, the Food Administration knew that if 
})rices a<lvanced it woidd be im])ossible greatly to stinndate 
the consum])tion of fish, but as no data were at hand to 
guide in settling the controversy, tliis ])hase of the matter 
had to be allowed to adjust itself with what little assistance 
the Committee could offer. Mr. Endicott, as already seen, 
succeeded in arbitrating these troubles, and the actual 

444 



int{MTU])tions in production rcsuliiiii'' ilicrdrom wore not 
extensive. 

The consensus of oi)inion is tliat no one can heconie a 
skilled fisherman in less than six months' time. Because of 
the frequent losses of men by enlistment, and tlie attrac- 
tiveness of higlier wages clscwliere, the fishing fleet had to 
be manned during the entire season of 1017 with too large 
a ])ercentage of imskilled hands, a condition the natural 
result of which was to reduce ])roduction. 

In spite of all these handicaps the total take of fish in 
1917 was greater than the average catch during the \-cars 
immediately ])receding. Fishing conditions seemed i<leal. 
Not only was the su}:'i)ly remarkable, but the amount of 
bait obtainable unusual. These two factors contributed 
much to the final success of the Committee's efforts. 

As soon as the Committee felt assured that the sui)ply 
would warrant the recjuest, a])i)eals were given out lU'ging 
consumers to make greater use of fish as a substitute for 
meat. The hotels, chibs and eating houses promptly ac- 
cepted this program, and through their menus, and the 
reaction of these on householders, a good start was given. 
In September, 1917, the New England hotel and restaurant 
])ro])rietors were called in to discuss various matters, and 
among them the tiuestion of having two fish days each 
week instead of one. AYhile an agreement was not reached 
as to details, the general program was believed to be wise, 
and Massachusetts proceeded with a clear-cut campaign for 
increased consumption. It was the intention to secure, 
first, the universal observance of Friday for fish day all over 
the State; then to secin*e the observance of Tuesday as a 
second fish and meatless day; and finally to encoiu-age the 
use of fish at all times in the week by those who had a liking 
for this kind of food. 

Obstacles at once appeared, for it developed that many 
people had no taste for fish, and after a little inquiry the 
Committee were convinced that this distaste in many in- 
stances resulted in im])ro])er preparation. To meet tliis, 

44.) 



educational work was necessary, and at once the Committee 
made ready a booklet giving various forms of recipes for 
cooking and serving fish. One section of these recipes was 
passed upon by chefs of clubs and hotels; the ingredients 
of another section were censored by experts in home eco- 
nomics, in order that the least possible call might be made 
for fats, wheat and other commodities more particularly 
needed abroad. When the book was ready, 40,000 copies 
were distributed through women's committees in cities and 
towns, and fish dealers had 50,000 more printed and dis- 
tributed over their counters to customers. The request for 
the booklet soon exceeded the supply, and a further issue 
might well have been circulated. 

In the propaganda for larger consumption of fish, the Sub- 
Committees on Public Safety and Food of the various 
cities and towns were of very great service. The press and 
various organizations of tlie State also took up the cam- 
paign, with the result that for some months the two fish 
days were regularly observed. 

One of the greatest obstacles which the Committee en- 
countered in its efforts was the constantly increasing retail 
price of fish. This was due, unfortunately, to the fact that 
with the national growth of the movement for a greater 
consumption of fish, a constantly increasing demand fell on 
the Boston supply, thus reducing the quantity which went 
into that city's markets. The Committee made a study of 
the cost of distribution, and found that the fish dealer who 
was not also a provision or meat dealer had to main- 
tain his establishment six days a week, with only a day and 
a half (Thursday afternoon and Friday) of really good 
business. 

The extra fish day naturally helped the situation; but 
distribution of fish is always accompanied by a high per- 
centage of waste and spoilage, while, moreover, the over- 
head expenses of the fish dealer advance in proportion to 
the volume of business, by reason of the forced idleness of 
men and equipment on other than fish days. When fish is 

446 



handled by meat or provision stores, the increased purchase 
of fish is offset by the decreased purchase of meat. The 
store, therefore, works at about an even capacity every day 
of the week, the same employees selling fish on Thursday 
and Friday, and meat the rest of the week. Likewise, de- 
livery equipment, in a fish market idle much of the week, is 
uninterruptedly employed by the general market dealer. 

The county food administrators and the public in general 
were impressed with the necessity of watching market re- 
ports on fish as given in the various newspapers, and con- 
fining purchases as far as possible to those fish advertised 
as more plentiful. It was also pointed out that several 
kinds of fish were caught in abundant quantities in their 
proper seasons off our own shores, which had previously 
been consumed very little, if at all, in Massachusetts, al- 
though popular in other States. The public were accord- 
ingly urged to use these less known and cheaper fish, equally 
good and palatable as food, but not so fashionable. The 
Committee was successful in increasing the consumption of 
gray fish, skate, whiting, squid, shark, dog fish, etc. A drive 
was also made early in 1918 for whiting, by means of 
which the public of Massachusetts were induced to consume 
about one-quarter of a million pounds of frozen whiting, at 
a cost of about 8 cents per pound to the consumer. Hereto- 
fore the consumption of this fish in Massachusetts was prac- 
tically nil. 

It was also evident that waste in transportation was no 
small factor. The combined shipments of small lots of fish 
by various individuals might amount in total to a car lot, 
but transportation was at small-lot rates. The Committee, 
therefore, worked with the fish wholesalers to secure maxi- 
mum car lot shipments wherever it was possible, and with 
successful results. This was particularly worth while in the 
case of shipments going out of the State. Cars had often 
been loaded with not over 15,000 pounds, where 30,000 
pounds would not have taxed the capacity of a single car. 
The maximum utilization of car space both diminished the 

447 



niiinber of cars in transit at any given time, and made pos- 
sible quicker handling. In the same way the Committee 
arranged the shipment of fish in large lots to various centers, 
as in the case of S],ringfield and Worcester. 

A conference was held with the representatives of the 
various railroads and trolley lines radiating from Boston, 
whereby better attention was given to the quicker move- 
ment of fish, while the amount of waste and spoilage in 
transit was lessened. 

The Committee noticed that the Fish Pier in South Bos- 
ton had no rail connection. It was further discovered that 
plans had been formed some six years before, and part of 
the track equipment secured, to extend the tracks of the 
Boston PHevated to the pier in order to facilitate direct load- 
ing, but no further progress had been made. This subject 
was taken up by Mr. Phelan with the authorities respon- 
sible for the pier control, with the Elevated Railway, and 
with the Waterways Commission, and eventually the spur 
track was completed and o])ened for service. 

The Committee also took up the question of shipment 
facilities in the South Boston terminals. It appeared that 
on one occasion teams laden with fish had waited until the 
close of the day for access to express freight cars. The cars 
assigned for the movement of this fish were spotted behind 
])latforms ])iled high with lieavy hardware, and loading was 
impossible. At the end of the <lay. therefore, it was neces- 
sary to take the fish to the Adams Express Company, and 
ship it by express, the ultimate consumers being, of course, 
obliged to pay a higher price to cover the cost. The rail- 
roads co-operated as far as the existing conditions of pres- 
sure and congestion permitted, and ])romi)tness of slii])- 
ment was greatly im]) roved. 

The work of the Fish Committee Wiis practically over 
when the restrictions regarding the consumption of beef 
were removed, and our i)eo])le permitted to resume their 
normal habits in the use of food. In the meantime various 
in(iuiries, both State and Federal, were being conducted 

448 



regarding' tlic fish industry as a wliole. In these the Com- 
mittee did not feel itself called iii)on to take part, but, 
having done what it could to promote increased production 
and a wider distril)iition of fish, for the sake of wliich they 
had been ai)pointed, ceased further activity. 

(g) Poultry and Eggs 

In July, 1917, the following Committee on Poultry and 
Eggs was appointed : — 

James J. Plielan, Chairman. 
Matthew Luce, Secretary. 
George H. Lyman. 
Jolm F. Stevens. 

It presently lield conferences with the various interests 
connected with the poultry business, and found tliat in 
New England ])OLdtry was not moving at all, and this, not- 
withstanding that the amount of poultry in cold storage was 
probably the largest ever known. As of July 1, 1J)17, it 
was estimated that some 56,000,000 ])ounds of poultry of 
all kinds was in cold storage throughout the country, as 
against what might be considered a nornuxl amoiuit of 
25,000,000 i)ouiids. 

The question of price lay at the bottom of the failure of 
poultry to sell. The consumer was indignant at the charges 
made him, and yet investigation proved that birds coming 
into cold storage the previous autumn (1910) were put in at 
rather high prices, which, with the added expense incident 
to carrying them for a ])eriod of six to eight months, greatly 
increased the cost to the owners. Nevertheless, the Com- 
mittee pointed out to both wholesalers and owners that the 
})oidtry in storage was still on hand, and was not moving, 
and that in order to move it a material reduction in ])rice 
would probably have to be made. The Committee (urther 
promised that if assured that prices should not be further 
advanced, but would rather tend downward, it would rec- 
ommend to the i)ublic as a patriotic duty the consumption 

449 



of poultry in order to conserve beef, pork and other meat 
necessary for onr army and the needs of our Alhes. 

This proposition met with the hearty co-operation of the 
wholesalers, and so far as Massachusetts and New England 
generally was concerned, and to a certain degree throughout 
the country, a decided reduction took place in the amount 
of poultry on hand. But the amount in cold storage on 
October 19, 1917, was still large, as imlicated by the gov- 
ernment reports, which showed some 51,000,000 pounds on 
September 1, and on October 1 upwards of 42,000,000 pounds, 
of which about 4,300,000 pounds was in New England. The 
greater part of this consisted of turkey, and was substan- 
tially taken care of at Thanksgiving. 

Another drive was made, with the express approval of 
Mr. Hoover, to advance the consumption of poultry, with 
the understanding that no advantage in the way of higher 
prices should accrue either to the producer, the wholesaler 
or the retailer. Indeed, there was no good reason why 
prices should advance. On the contrary, by reason of the 
large supply of frozen birds, augmented as it was by an 
immediate increase of freshly killed poultry, the price of 
all kinds of poultry should have declined. 

The November drive was very successfid, and resulted in 
a decided conservation of beef, pork, mutton and other meats 
necessary for foreign shipment. During the remainder of 
the year 1917, and well into 1918, the supply of cold-storage 
poultry rapidly decreased. On October 4, 1917, the leading 
dealers met with the Committee, and at the latter's sug- 
gestion it was agreed that one-half of the stocks of poultry 
already in cold storage for a year were to be withdrawn within 
one month, and the other half in four months. Through 
this understanding the surplus su])j)ly was further and 
materially reduced. 

The custom in Massachusetts has been to allow cold 
storage i)ermits for one year, with a renewal up to another 
six monlhs if the supplies are found in good condition on 
examination. In accordance with representations from the 

450 



Committee, the board of health extended this time in some 
cases where conditions warranted. 

On acconnt of the high cost of grain and feed, the poultry 
situation in New England, and especially in Massachusetts, 
was bad, and most of the large poultry farms in the Com- 
monwealth were forced to shut down. Unlike poultry rais- 
ing in the West, where birds run at will over large farms, 
the flocks in Massachusetts were practically entirely de- 
pendent on feed purchased by their owners. Hence in the 
early part of 1918 Mr. Endicott issued a circular letter to 
all boards of health in the various cities and towns in the 
State, asking them to make as liberal an interpretation of 
their laws as possible, in order to encourage the raising of 
backyard flocks of poultry. 

In February, 1918, a rule directing that hens should not 
be killed was announced from Washington, — a restriction 
which worked considerable hardship to the poultry raisers 
in Massachusetts on account of the existing high price of 
feed. Various meetings were held by the Committee with 
poultry owners and raisers and the kosher killing trade, and 
with the consent of the Federal Administration arrangements 
were made relaxing the rule in some instances. 

During the late fall of 1917 a large stock of eggs also was 
in cold storage. Mr. Phelan, with Mr. Priebe, head of the 
United States Poultry Division, produced a plan satisfac- 
tory both to the egg dealers and to Washington. By this 
arrangement eggs which might lose their food qualities by 
remaining too long in cold storage were successfully dis- 
posed of in proper condition, and speculation thereby 
largely eliminated. 

Owing to the general shortage of. poultry throughout the 
United States in the early spring of 1918, and the high price 
of feed, there was no further difficulty with stocks in cold 
storage, whether of eggs or poultry. The rule against killing 
hens expired on April 1, 1918. The industry in New Eng- 
land, and especially in Massachusetts, however, was un- 
questionably very hard hit. 

451 



Many meetings on the poultry and egg situation were 
held by the Committee with leading dealers and exchanges 
interested in the matter, and often the railroads and express 
companies in consultation with the Committee were able 
to adjust difficulties involving transportation. 

The subject of egg breakage was also thoroughly examined. 
Orders from Washington restricting the use of certain kinds 
of packing cases were received, and instructions in accord- 
ance therewith given to the trade. It would seem, however, 
that heavy loss from egg breakage is likely to remain. 

(h) Sugar Division 

During the whole life of its activity, Mr. Ratshesky had 
the directing control over this division. Any questions of 
policy and other important problems were often referred to 
him for final decision, and his judgment proved of great 
assistance. 

In October, 1917, dealers and consumers throughout the 
Commonwealth began to complain of serious difficulty in 
obtaining supplies of sugar. Therefore in December Mr. 
Endicott, who had in the meantime put Mr. Edward 
Wigglesworth in immediate charge of the Sugar Division 
(see Appendix, page 569) appointed the following Emergency 
Sugar Distribution Committee, which included in its mem- 
bership twelve wholesale dealers and large users of sugar : — 



B. H. Bain. 
E. R. Slierl)urne. 
Walworth Pierce. 
H. A. Johnson. 
George F. SchraflFt. 



W. Hi Logan, Chairman. 
W. C. Adams, Secretary. 

Charles F. Adams. 

H. J. McMackin. 

W. F. Potter. 

H. B. Johnson. 

James B. Clark. 



Under the guidance of this body complaints from towns and 
from dealers imable to procure sugar were taken up with 
those wholesalers who had supplies, and an equitable dis- 
tribution among them made it possible for the various com- 



452 



munities of the State to secure small supplies with such 
frequency that little hardship resulted. Grocers were for- 
bidden to require combination sales of other commodities 
with sugar, and retail prices for sugar were fixed by the Food 
Administration. Grocers were also requested not to sell to 
any person other than a regular customer, nor to sell to 
children. 

The License Division, then handling matters of enforce- 
ment, considered a great many complaints, the majority of 
which proved to be groundless. In the few cases which 
seemed flagrant enough to demand action, penalties were 
imposed. The shortage continued acute through November 
and December. Toward the latter part of January the new 
crop of Cuban sugar began to arrive, and the situation 
rapidly improved. A slight shortage continued, however, 
until about the 1st of March. 

The second stage of the Sugar Division's work came with 
orders from Washington on May 7, that all manufacturers 
requiring sugar be rationed on the basis of their own state- 
ments of their normal consumption. Two classes were rec- 
ognized : Class A, including all the so-called less essential 
industries, and Class B, known as essential industries. Man- 
ufacturers listed in Class A were allowed 50 per cent of their 
normal supply; those in Class B, 100 per cent. It now be- 
came necessary to employ a much larger staff for sugar 
work, as statements were required from all manufacturers, 
including drug stores, while 50,000 certificates were issued 
by the Sugar Division for June alone. These certificates 
entitled manufacturers to purchase from wholesalers or re- 
finers the amount certified. Manufacturers were prohibited 
from purchasing without certificates, and dealers were sub- 
ject to revocation of license if they sold to manufacturers 
except upon surrender of their certificates. This arrange- 
ment became effective May 15. 

From July 1 onward the third phase of sugar control 
developed. Five classes of sugar users were tabulated, as 
follows: Class A, less essential manufacturers; Class B, 

453 



essential manufacturers; Class C, public eating places; 
Class D, bakers; Class E, retail grocers. To each one of 
these classes a stipulated amount of sugar was allowed: to 
Class A, 50 per cent of that used during the first half of 
1917; to Class B, 100 per cent; to Class C, 3 pounds of sugar 
for every 90 meals served, using as a basis the meals served 
during July, August and September, 1917 (or the amoiuit 
used in June, 1918, multiplied by 3) ; to Class D, 70 per cent 
of the sugar used during July, August and September, 1917 
(or in June, 1918, multiplied by 3); to Class E, 100 per cent 
of the sugar sold by them during April, May and June, 1917 
(or June, 1918, multiplied by 3). The supply so appor- 
tioned was for the three months of July, August and Sep- 
tember; but certificates were issued in monthly install- 
ments, since it was feared the issue of certificates for three 
months would cause so great a demand on wholesalers and 
refiners that immediate shortage would follow. 

Again the staff had to be greatly increased, to more than 
one hundred, in order to keep pace with the volume of work. 
Statements were printed and furnished to over 30,000 pur- 
chasers, and when filled out and returned were tabulated 
and corrected. On the basis of these statements 250,000 
certificates were issued monthly. As might be expected, an 
enormous amount of misunderstanding arose, due in part 
to the necessary complexity of the system, but in still 
greater measure to the ignorance, carelessness and cupidity 
of purchasers. 

Certificates were issued on the basis of instructions re- 
ceived from Washington; and when the apportionment for 
the State of Massachusetts was announced, about the mid- 
dle of July, it was discovered that the certificates called for 
more than twice the available supi)ly of sugar. The allot- 
ment to all users was cut in varying degrees, according to 
the different classes, and by this means the amount of over- 
issue was greatly reduced. This caused severe hardship to 
those who had made their statements honestly, while those 
who had overstated their needs in the first instance profited 

454 



in proportion. Readjustment of allotments necessitated the 
immediate establishment of an inspection service, and for a 
long time the Division of Enforcement was overworked 
with cpses of fraudulent statements made to the Sugar Divi- 
sion. To meet the congestion and multiplicity of cases, the 
refiners and various firms who were large handlers of sugar 
gave the services of men from their own staffs, with whose 
assistance it became possible to help those who had been 
left with too short a sup})ly. To add to the confusion, the 
home canning season was at its height; but special pro- 
vision was made for the issue of supplies to householders, in 
order that fruit products might not be wasted. The issue 
of these canning certificates opened the door for enormous 
misrepresentation, which required the greatest care to hold 
down to a minimum. Nevertheless, it was the universal 
conviction of all administrators by whom certificates were 
issued, that the gain in the saving of foodstuffs far offset 
any loss through unfairness of would-be canners, and that 
the percentage of dishonesty was much less than was to have 
been expected. 

In September a careful estimate of the sugar needs of 
each town was made on the basis of two pounds per person 
per month, and a proportionate quota allotted to each local 
grocer. 

After the sudden collapse of hostilities, word was received 
about Thanksgiving time that the December issue of cer- 
tificates would be the last, and instructions were given for 
the dismissal of all Sugar Division employees. 

In fact, within two days the most highly organized divi- 
sion of the Massachusetts Food Administration disappeared, 
and all that was left in the first week of December was 
a few clerks completing the systematic filing of records and 
answering the inquiries which still came in. By the middle 
of December the doors of the Sugar Division were locked, and 
early in January the records were shipped to Washington. 

No branch of the Food Administration work illustrated 
more clearly the policy which Mr. Hoover adhered to through- 

455 



out the life of the Food Administration. As far back as the 
fall of 1917 calls came from consumers for a rationing sys- 
tem, and it is interesting to note that these calls were from 
the wealthy rather than the poor, the former claiming that 
if rationing were adopted they would be the first to live up 
to the mark. As Mr. Hoover was always adverse to the 
system of rationing, he sought to control distribution only 
up to the point where the commodity left the hands of the 
retailer and passed into the possession of the consumer, and 
to place no coercion whatever on the latter. The single 
deviation from this policy was in the case of canning sup])lies, 
which were rationed through the county administrators to 
the applicants who wished to undertake canning work. 
During the critical shortage of midsummer 1918, calls 
again became very insistent from many quarters for a full 
and extensive rationing system, but Mr. Hoover refused to 
consent to any deviation from his established policy. 

The Massachusetts Food Administration also furnished 
assistance, in the way of advice, to grocers, who organized 
grocers' distributing committees in the various cities, on the 
basis of population. In some cases, where the grocers' 
organization was adequate, the entire block of certificates 
was turned over to the grocers' committee for apportion- 
ment to the grocers in their respective communities. The 
Massachusetts Administration felt this to be justified, be- 
cause the 1)1 an came in the form of urgent requests from 
consumers, and also because it was concurred in by the trade 
actually handling the commodity. While the administra- 
tion still refused to become a party to the program, it placed 
no obstacles in the way of its development, and referred 
inquiries to such communities as had made a success of the 
venture. 

It was noticeable that in those places where sugar coupons 
were used, the Food Administration received little, if any, 
complaint, this proving clearly that the coupon or card 
system of rationing was as acceptalile to the people of the 
Commonwealth as it was equitable. 

456 



While it is idle to conjecture to what price sugar might 
have riscQ as the result of profiteering, there is no doubt 
whatever that supplies would have been absolutely with- 
held from a large part of the people, and that the price would 
have risen to prohibitive heights, except for the intervention 
of the Food Administration. 

During July, 1918, the most strenuous month of shortage, 
two pounds per capita were allowed, thereby making a 
saving in that month alone of at least $800,000. Taking 
.the time covered by the whole period of the sugar shortage, 
and based on a total household consumption of 60,000,000 
pounds in Massachusetts, it is not unreasonable to assume 
that upwards of $5,000,000 was saved. This saving was also 
probably duplicated on the 100,000,000 pounds which 
passed through the manufacturing and restaurant trades 
during the period of definite control. 

(i) Committee on Ice 

In November, 1917, a committee from the Massachusetts 
Ice Dealers' Association inquired if they could in any way 
be of assistance to the Food Administration. Mr. Endicott 
asked them to harvest an extra large crop of ice during the 
winter of 1917 to 1918, so that there might be no risk of a 
shortage during the succeeding summer, and later appointed 
a Committee to work with them, consisting of James J. 
Phelan, Chairman, and Matthew Luce, Secretary. Early 
in 1918 a letter was sent to all ice companies, except those 
making artificial ice, instructing them as stated above. 

At the outset the Committee found that owing to the 
probable shortage of ammonia (the Federal government 
having an option on the entire ammonia supply) the manu- 
facture of artificial ice for public consumption must come to 
an end. Since artificial ice had heretofore constituted 10 
to 15 per cent of the ice consumed in the State, the natural 
ice crop, which promised well, needed to be increased above 
normal by that amount. 

457 



It was apparent that transportation entered largely into 
the question, and the Committee held meetings with the 
representatives of the Boston & Maine, New Haven, and 
Boston & Albany Railroads, both steam and electric. They 
all gave assurances of full and interested attention to the 
matter, and kept their promise. The street railways had 
not heretofore been accustomed to handle ice, but at the 
Committee's suggestion they ascertained the number of ice 
plants located on their lines, studied the methods of distrib- 
uting ice, and, so far as they could, aided loyally in its 
transportation. 

Considerable duplication, with resulting increase in ex- 
pense, was found in the handling and distribution of ice to 
consumers throughout the State, especially in the cities. 
This was largely relieved by dividing territory on the basis 
of volume of business done for the previous two, three or 
more years. The plan, systematically worked out, released 
many men and horses, and to that extent the cost of handling 
was reduced. 

Much saving was also effected by the co-operation given 
by consumers. Purchasers who could afford to do so were 
asked to fill their ice box as full as possible at each delivery, 
and if necessary, to have larger ice boxes installed, with a 
view to reducing the number of deliveries of ice. 

The best results in refrigeration can only be obtained by 
putting in a large piece of ice, for the reason that in build- 
ing all refrigerators the capacity of the food chambers is 
calculated strictly in accordance with ice capacity. If only 
one-half of the amount of ice intended by the refrigerator 
manufacturers is used, refrigeration will be reduced to that 
extent, and a consequent increase in the waste or consump- 
tion of ice must necessarily follow. Two small pieces, put 
in at different times, will not dp the work of one piece twice 
the size put ia half as often. 

Thus, by the more intelligent use of ice, the cost to the 
consumer was undoubtedly reduced; and these emergency 



458 



methods are likely hereafter to continue as a regular prac- 
tice in the interest of thrift and economy. 

The Massachusetts Ice Dealers' Association informed the 
Committee that, according to the unanimous opinion in the 
trade, the increased cost of doing business in Massachusetts 
for the year 1918 would be more than 30 per cent over that 
for 1917; and that if the increase in freight rates, granted to 
all railroads, were applied to ice, the percentage of increase 
would be still greater; at the same time, it was shown that 
wages had increased 20-35 per cent, and fodder 50-100 per 
cent. In further illustration of the increased cost of doing 
business, the association tabulated a few of the more im- 
portant expenses for 1913 and 1918, as follows: — 



1913. 


1918. 


SO 37 to $0 483^ 


$0 98 to $1 01 


71 


1 94 


37 00 


68 00 


4 50 


11 50 


4 00 


6 75 


26 00 


46 00 to 50 00 


2 10 


5 50 


1 66 


4 15 


1 75 


3 00 


8 00 


15 00 



Oats, 
Corn, 

Roofing felt, . 
Stable brooms. 
Horseshoes, 
Spruce lumber, 
Soft steel. 
Tire steel, 
Wagon scales. 
Horse blankets. 



These figures were taken from the actual records of one of 
the largest ice companies, which had an experienced buyer 
who purchased in such quantities as to obtain the most favor- 
able prices. Among the smaller dealers it was stated that 
the percentage of increase was even greater. 

In connection with the above statement the association 
recommended that they be permitted to put into effect the 
following prices : — 



459 





1917. 


1918. 


Yard prices on bridge, .... 


$3 to $3 50. 


.$4 50. 


Icing cars at railroads, .... 


4 50. 


5. 


Wholesale prices, 300 to 600 pounds, at one 
delivery. 

Family prices, delivered to householders — 


25 per 100 pounds. 


First 600 pounds of any de- 
livery at rate of 35 cents 
per every 100 pounds; 
balance at rate of 30 cents 
per 100 pounds. 


100 pounds, one delivery. 


$0 35 to $0 40. 


$0 50. 


50 pounds, one delivery. 


20. 


25. 


25 pounds, one delivery. 


10. 


20 pounds for 10 cents. 
10 pounds for 5 cents. 



It will be noted that for the smaller quantities there was 
no increase in some cases, and in others it was small. In 
no case was it greater than 2.5 per cent. For the larger quan- 
tities the increase was slightly in excess of 30 per cent. In 
other words, the association in its recommendations en- 
deavored to carry out the idea which the Committee had 
carefully impressed upon it, that the chief burden of the 
increase should fall on the large rather than on the small 
consumers. 

As a result, family prices in Massachusetts compared fav- 
orably with those put into effect by the New York Food 
Administrator in the early part of 1918. The bridge price 
in Massachusetts is 10 cents per ton greater, while the whole- 
sale prices of 30 cents per 100 pounds corresponds with the 
New York price of 40 cents per 100 pounds. In making a 
comparison of prices it should be noticed that the cost of 
delivery in New York is less than in Boston, because the 
New York season is about forty-five days longer than in 
Massachu.setts. Also, taken as a whole, the routes in New 
York City are more compact than those in Boston and some 
other Massachusetts cities, so that a larger percentage of 
the wagons, it was claimed, were working to maximum 
efficiency. 

The jirices above given were approved both by Mr. Endi- 



460 



cott and Mr. Hoover. It was distinctly understood, however, 
that in no case and under no circumstances should the profit 
be any greater than an average profit in a normal market 
during the pre-war years of 1911, 191^2 and 1913. 

In May, 1918, the Boston Ice Company, Independent Ice 
Company and Winter Hill Ice Company, at the request of 
the Committee, arranged to carry into effect the Committee's 
plan of furnishing cheaper ice in the congested districts of 
Boston. Six to twelve stations were established in public 
squares, parks or vacant lots in a number of districts, and 
ice was there sold during the summer months on a cash and 
carry plan of 25 cents per 100 pounds, 20 cents per 80 
pounds, 15 cents per 60 pounds, 10 cents per 40 pounds, and 
5 cents per 20 pounds. These prices were below actual cost, 
without considering shrinkage. This enabled many people 
to use ice freely during the warm weather, and helped to con- 
serve food. It was understood that if the loss due to oper- 
ating these stations at the prices above given should prove 
too heavy a burden, the Committee of ice dealers reserved 
the right to ask for relief; but this did not become necessary. 
The ice dealers also patriotically agreed to furnish from these 
stations ice in limited amounts, without charge, wherever it 
was required for sickroom purposes and upon order of the 
attending physician, and to carry out this offer suitable 
blanks were provided. The stations also were prepared to 
furnish free ice to individuals upon the order of any recog- 
nized charitable institution. The mayor of Boston gave per- 
mission for the location of the stations in parks or public 
squares, and assisted in every way, as did the Police Com- 
missioner, Mr. Stephen A. O'Meara. 

Volunteers were called in to assist in taking charge of these 
stations. The ice companies provided a man to cut the ice, 
and a volunteer took charge of the station, with a woman as 
cashier. At each location a platform was built, in the rear 
of which a team would back up, and the ice when weighed 
was distributed by the man in charge of the station. The 
county food administrators were notified of these cash and 

461 



carry ice stations, and much ice was sold in other cities on 
this phm. 

Mr. G. H. Voter, vice-president of the Massachusetts Ice 
Dealers' Association, personally took charge of all the 
stations, and the success of the work was mainly due to his 
untiring efforts. 

(j) The Banana Episode 

On September 24, 1917, a United Fruit Company steamer 
from Port Limon, Costa Rica, docked at Long Wharf with a 
cargo of 35,000 bimches of ripe bananas. Owing to faulty 
refrigeration these had not come through the voyage green, 
and were in too ripe a condition to go into commercial 
channels. As they were edible if used immediately, the city 
department of health refused to give a pennit for their de- 
struction. The company was confronted with a perplexing 
problem. The fruit w^ould perish if not used within twenty- 
four hours, and handling or exposure would cause immediate 
decay. The fruit could not be sold, and without organization 
of consumers it was a physical impossibility even to give it 
away, although it was suggested that vast quantities of 
bananas might be fed to local cows without permanent 
serious consequences to their digestion. 

Early on the morning of September 25 the situation came 
to the attention of the Food Administration. The officials 
of the company explained their desire to dump the cargo into 
the outer harbor, on the ground that it would require too 
long to give the fruit awa3% and that the boat was needed 
at once to take on a waiting cargo for the return trip. A 
member of the Food Administration staff inspected the 
bananas in the hold of the vessel and confirmed the state- 
ment that the fruit could not go into trade channels, l)ut was 
fit for immediate use. The Food Administration, therefore, 
undertook to find an outlet for the fruit, and the company 
agreed to give it to those who would call for it. 
^ Telephone notice was at once given to various charitable 
institutions of the city, eight carloads of the fruit were dis- 

462 



patched to Camp Devens at Ayer, and many boatloads sent 
to the Charlestown Navy Yard, to the United States Receiv- 
ing Ship at Commonwealth Pier, and to the harbor forts. 
The traffic on Long Wharf was organized so that every team- 
stand was continually occupied, and in two days the bulk of 
the cargo of bananas had been removed from the hold of the 
vessel. Such portions as were too far gone to be eaten were 
loaded directly from the hold into a scow and dumped. The 
greater part of the bananas reached consumers in edible con- 
dition, and $75,000 worth of foodstuffs was saved from total 
loss. 



463 



CHArXER VIII 

TRANSPORTATION AND ADJUSTMENT DIVISION 

This Division of the Food Achiunistration in December, 
1917, consisted of Messrs. George H. Lyman, A. C. Ratshesky, 
Charles H. Cutting and later Mr. George M. Flint. At this 
time, practically the entire effort of the Committee was di- 
rected towards securing a prompt unloading of produce 
cars, the Committee using as a working basis the daily reports 
received by the Boston & Maine Railroad of cars containing 
perishable goods. From this list such cars were picked out 
as had been on hand for the longest time, and the consignee 
then communicated with. The Food Administration's regu- 
lations were not sufficiently clear to give full moral support 
to these endeavors, or to be used as a force to gain the re- 
quired ends, and no cases as yet had been submitted to 
arbitration. 

The severe winter demoralized the transportation service, 
and the chief effort was directed to tracing carloads of those 
foodstuffs of which the supply was seriously depleted. This 
condition soon applied to a greatly increased list of articles, 
so that the tracing of carloads occupied three-cjuarters of the 
time spent. In consequence, for the daily reports of cars 
containing perishables were substituted reports of cars of 
foodstuffs delayed in track seventy-two hours. These 
reports were at once followed up. Letters were then written 
to the presidents of the three major New England railroads, 
outlining the work undertaken and asking assistance through 
their subordinates. The aid so recpiested continued from 
that time to be freely and consistently given. 

In February, 1918, Mr. Lyman turned over his work in 
this Department to Mr. William L. Putnam (see Ap])endix, 
page 571), who, at the request of a committee of the Produce 
Exchange, inaugurated a plan for the arbitration of disputes 

4G4 



and consignee, this being one of the principal causes why 
cars of vegetables were detained on the track at destination, 

A printed statement of the rules of the Food Administra- 
tion under the Massachusetts statute was also prepared, and 
over a thousand copies posted in conspicuous places by the 
railroads and the Produce Exchange. 

The plan adopted for arbitration quickly assumed far- 
reaching proportions, and the cases multiplied to such a 
degree that a Federal adjuster was appointed to handle all 
cases for metropolitan Boston. Through the courtesy of the 
Fruit and Produce Trade Committee, the Committee was 
able to secure for this purpose the highly valued services of 
Mr. A. W. Otis. Similar cases were constantly arising in 
other parts of the State, and letters were sent to the county 
food administrators defining the procedure they were to 
follow. The Committee also assumed the duties of an infor- 
mation bureau for Food Administration regulations relating 
to transportation matters of various kinds. 

An earlier effort resulted in securing a steamer for the 
transportation of about one hundred cars of seed potatoes, 
which were held on track at Boston for lack of storage space, 
and stood in imminent danger of freezing while awaiting 
movement to southern points. Again, a large number of 
refrigerator and heater cars, for the movement of onions 
from Connecticut Valley points, were assembled at a time 
when intense cold threatened to freeze even the stock in 
warehouses. 

Coincident with the unsatisfactory transportation con- 
nections during the winter of 1917-18, permits were neces- 
sary to secure movement of freight, and the Committee 
exerted itself in behalf of Massachusetts shippers in obtain- 
ing them. Also, in cases where railroad embargoes affected 
the movement of perishable goods, assistance was given 
to secure prompt connection, by which it was made possible 
for highly perishable products to reach their market without 
serious loss. For example, when in the spring of 1917 the 
grain dealers of Massachusetts were without stocks of grain 

465 



and oats, and intimations were received that live stock was 
being slaughtered for lack of feed, permits were obtained 
through the instrumentality of the Committee, the move- 
ment of the necessary grain brought about, and disaster 
averted. 

Following the winter's shortage an enormous surplus of 
certain lines of goods reached our markets, and our store- 
houses, filled with the abnormal freight of war time, could 
not take in the large amounts daily arriving. In this situa- 
tion the Committee was able to be of temporary assistance, 
until finally the basement of Mechanics Hall was secured by 
one of the large warehouse companies and the congestion 
relieved. 

As an aftermath of this accumulation of excess stocks, it 
was agreed that the Grain Corporation should buy some of 
the accumulated supplies of the cereal and flour substitutes, 
and the Committee ultimately solved the serious and diffi- 
cult problem of finding warehouse and docking space com- 
bined, by securing for the Grain Corporation Pier No. 4 of 
the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, at which 
point the largest of our boats were enabled to handle their 
cargoes more expeditiously. 

The Committee also brought about a prompter settlement 
of freight claims on the part of transportation companies; 
and successful efforts were made to improve the service of 
the Union Freight Railroad, connecting the terminals. Also 
increased protection against fire was secured for the cold- 
storage warehouses. 

The volunteer services rendered in these general matters 
by Mr. O. M. Chandler, Mr. Davenport Brown and Mr. 
F. T. Lamour, freight traffic manager of the Boston & Maine 
Railroad, were of inestimable help to the Committee. 



466 



CHAPTER IX 
FUEL SUPPLY FOR FOOD INDUSTRIES 

During- the fuel shortage of the winter (1917), the United 
States Fuel Administration was instructed to permit fuel sup- 
ph^ on "heatless" days only for such industries as required 
the same for the maiatenance of public safety. Among such 
industries were essential food producing or food handling 
establishments. The approval of requests from these indus- 
tries was delegated to the State Food Administration, and 
Mr. Paul J. Sachs, chief of the License Division, and Mr. 
B. Preston Clark were appointed to pass upon all such appli- 
cations. In a single day over eighty establishments were 
given conference and decisions rendered in their cases. All 
told, several hundred industries were affected. 

This work was largely confined to a short period, but was 
strenuous while it lasted. The question to be determined 
in every instance was whether the food equity was such as 
to entitle the applicant to fuel. The cases where food was 
directly produced were easy of decision, but when the rela- 
tion was somewhat removed from actual food, and concerned 
only food containers or similar articles, careful judgment was 
necessary as to whether the temporary cessation of produc- 
tion of subsidiary materials would actually result in the 
decrease of food supply. 



467 



Part VI 

FUEL ADMINISTRATION 

New England Coal Committee 

At the final meeting of the Committee on Public Safety 
Mr. Endicott said in part : — 

Mr. Storrow, as you all know, was appointed Fuel Administrator for 
New England. As soon as he was appointed he realized the seriousness 
of the situation here, — one more serious, I believe, than in any other 
part of the country. He went to Washington and took the matter up 
vigorously with the "powers that be," — so vigorously that I think he 
was decidedly unpopular; but that apparently did not discourage him, 
because he spent most of his time between here and Washington, or in 
W^ashington for a long time, until finally it dawned upon the people there 
that what he had been telling them was absolutely true, with the result 
that to-day they hold up the New England Fuel Administration as a 
model to the entire country. I know that he has made himself at times 
personally responsible for $10,000,000 worth of coal; I know that he has 
been working here night and day; I know that if it had not been for him 
some of us would have been cold last winter in our homes; and I know 
that in all probability but for Mr. Storrow's organization the thousands of 
factories in New England would have had to close. He has such an organ- 
ization that he knows where every barge is, every pound of coal that is 
being shipped, and nearly every pound that is wanted. It is my judg- 
ment that there are more thanks due to Mr. Storrow throughout New 
England than to any other single man in this part of the country. 

Within a few weeks after the appointment of the Com- 
mittee on Public Safety it was perceived that the fuel sit- 
uation was to be one of New England's most serious war 
problems, and it therefore began to receive the attention of 
the Committee. On account of the technical natiire of the 
work it seemed advisable to organize a separate committee 
which would concentrate all its efforts on improving fuel 
conditions in the State, but which would at the same time 

468 



be closely affiliated with the Committee on Public Safety. 
Accordingly, early in May, 1917. Governor McCall appointed 
the Massachusetts Coal Committee, and made Mr. Storrow 
chairman, who continued to serve also as chairman of the 
Committee on Public Safety, but from this time on directed 
the larger part of his effort to the fuel work. On May 28, 
1917, he was elected chairman of the New England Coal 
Committee at a joint meeting of the coal committees which 
had been appointed in each of the New England States at 
the suggestion of Governor McCall. On October 9, 1917, 
the President, upon the recommendation of Dr. Harry A. 
Garfield, National Fuel Administrator, appointed Mr. Stor- 
row Federal Fuel Administrator for New England, and also 
Federal Fuel Administrator for Massachusetts. As the 
Commonwealth Defence Act, which had been passed by the 
Legislature in accordance with the recommendations of the 
Committee on Public Safety, contained important pro- 
visions relating to fuel, the Governor intrusted Mr. Storrow 
with the authority relating to fuel created under this statute. 
It became so clearly evident, however, that the fuel 
problem was national in its scope, and could only be handled 
adequately by the national government, that Mr. Storrow's 
office, after his appointment by Dr. Garfield, was conducted 
wholly under the authority of the Federal Fuel Adminis- 
tration, and no occasion arose calling for action under the 
Defence Act of Massachusetts. 



Causes of Coal Shortage in New England 

It will be of assistance in understanding the work of the 
New England Fuel Administration to briefly review the 
underlying causes of the coal shortage in New England 
during the winter of 1917-18. 

The entrance of this country into the war made necessary 
an immediate speeding up of our factories in order to pro- 
duce, on the vast scale required, supplies and equipment for 
our own troops and for those of our Allies. 

469 



As the government's war program enlarged, it became 
evident that the huge industrial task laid upon New Eng- 
land's factories and workshops would require a much larger 
consumption of coal than ever before in its history. The 
tremendously overburdened condition of the railways, as the 
rapidly rising volume of raw materials and finished muni- 
tions began to flow into and to be shipped from the indus- 
trial plants, quickly rendered the successful mining and trans- 
portation of even the normal volume of coal increasingly 
difficult, if not almost impossible. For this greath^ added 
burden the preceding years of railroad starvation proved a 
poor preparation. The railroads, with their tremendous 
new obligations, were short of cars, locomotives, tracks and 
terminals. The shortage grew rapidly worse, and soon the 
scarcity of men added still further to the difficulty. 

Nearly all sections of the country had their transporta- 
tion problems, but as the eastern seaboard was approached, 
especially to the east of a line drawn north and south through 
Pittsburg, and embracing the States of Maryland, Pennsyl- 
vania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and New England, 
a zone of transportation congestion was encountered which 
far transcended anything else of the kind in the country. 

It is also to be noted that the fueling of New England 
under these conditions presented a much stiffer problem 
than in the other States within this congested zone. Most 
of the industrial plants in the Central Atlantic States are 
within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of a coal mine. 
New York City itself, which is on the extreme eastern edge 
of the Middle Atlantic States, can be reached by a train of 
coal cars in less than three days. In New England it is 
every winter's experience that coal in transit averages from 
three to five weeks, according to weather conditions. New 
York State draws practically the whole of its fuel supply 
from the adjoining State of Pennsylvania. New England, 
on the other hand, draws a large part of its coal from the 
mountains of West Virginia, where the initial stage of the 
journey, from the mountains to the southern loading port 

470 



alone, is much greater than the average distance for all coal 
needed to fuel such States as New York, Pennsylvania, Dela- 
ware and New Jersey. 

Moreover, this water transit from the southern ports to 
New England encountered many super-difRculties as the 
war progressed, entirely unknown to the Middle Atlantic 
States. The government did not go to the sources of coal 
supply of the Middle Western States for any appreciable 
amount of coal on its own account, but it went into New 
England's sources of supply, and especially the Pocahontas 
and New River districts of West Virginia, for many millions 
of tons in direct competition with New England's needs. 
Still further, the coal-loading piers of the southern ports,, 
which could not suddenly be increased, and which in fact 
were not increased during the war, were utilized more and 
more by the government. New England colliers were obliged 
to lie waiting at anchor in the stream at Hampton Roads, 
while a continuous succession of government war vessels 
or transports moved into the pier ahead of them. Finally, 
the govermnent began taking for its trans-Atlantic needs 
one New England collier after another, until six months 
before the war ended not a single one was left on our shores. 
Less important, but accentuating the difficulty, was the 
fact that the government was obliged to take a large pro- 
portion of the ocean-going tugs used in towing coal to New 
England. 

It is not worth while to enumerate all the peculiar dis- 
advantages under which New England struggled; but when 
the demand for coal is intense and railroad eciuipment is 
scarce, a coal mine will naturally sell its coal as near home 
as possible. If it can send coal to a point in Pennsylvania, 
New York, Delaware or New Jersey and get the car back 
to fill again in a week, it is much more attractive business 
for the mine than sending it to New England, where it is 
certain not to be back for at least a month, and probably, 
under the average winter conditions, not for at least six 
weeks. In the past, New England overcame this advantage 

471 



in difficult times by simply paying more for the coal, thus 
securing its needs; but just as soon as the Coal Production 
Committee organized by the Council of National Defense, 
of which Francis S. Peabody was chairman, set a flat price 
of $3 per ton for soft coal. New England began to suffer 
acutely from this cause. Canada was not subject to the 
Peabody committee, and felt free to outbid New England, 
which it did day by day, while the coal naturally flowed to 
the nearer destinations in preference to New England at 
the same price. 

Thus for many months the interference of the national 
government injured rather than helped New England, and 
it was not until the spring of 1918, when the zoning and dis- 
tribution system of the National Fuel Administration was 
perfected and became really operative, that the difficulties 
of New England, at first enchanced by the government, 
were removed and counteracted, and the coal distributed ac- 
cording to the law of necessity rather than the rule of 
distance. 

Organization of New England Coal Committee 

About the 1st of May, 1917, the Council of National 
Defense, becoming aware of the close relation of adequate 
coal production to the Nation's war plans, appointed a 
Sub-Committee on Coal Production, of which Francis S. 
Peabody of Chicago was made chairman. Mr. Storrow 
was appointed a member of this committee to represent 
New England. 

Immediately following the organization of the Committee 
of the Council of National Defense, Mr. Storrow, at a con- 
ference of all the Governors of the New England States, 
called by Governor McCall, presented the dangers of the 
New England fuel outlook and the necessity for co-operative 
action by the New England States, and at his suggestion 
the Governor appointed the Massachusetts Coal Committee, 
which was followed by the appointment of coal committees 
by the Governors of the other New England States; and on 

472 



May 28 the New England Coal Committee was organized, 
composed of the several State committees, and executive 
offices were established at the State House, Boston. 

It was agreed from the outset that the New England fuel 
problem should be treated as one affair, and that the rapidly 
rising war impediments, threatening alike all the New Eng- 
land States, should be dealt with by one common manage- 
ment for the benefit of all the New England States. It was 
clearly seen that to try to chop the fueling of New England 
into six separate sections would lead to almost inextricable 
confusion and cross purposes, whether dealing with the 
sources of supply at the mines, railways outside of New 
England, home railways, shipping interests, barge operat- 
ing interests, or with the numerous branches and services 
of the Federal government whose interest and help it was 
necessary to secure. 

When the Federal government finally created the Fuel 
Administration to handle fuel, the precedent had already 
been jnade of treating New England as a unit, and the habit 
and method of co-operation by the New England States in 
dealing with all questions relating to coal had become 
strongly established. 

One of the most important consequences of the estab- 
lishment of the New England Coal Comaiittee was that it 
resulted in an early beginning being made in the education 
of the various governmental agencies in Washington as to 
the dangerous condition which threatened New England. 

It should be borne in mind that the Federal Fuel Admin- 
istration was not organized until October, 1917, so that 
during these spring and sinnmer months there was no gov- 
ernmental agency which had any authority or responsibility 
regarding coal. The career of the Peabody committee was 
cut short very early by the public attack of one member of 
the Cabinet upon another member for approving the vol- 
untary $3 maximum price, and the committee from that 
time ceased to be a factor in the situation. 

Inasmuch as New England's coal supply was to a great 

473 



extent dependent upon the transportation conditions, both 
by the railroads and by water, the possibility of relief for 
New England, pending the appointment of any govern- 
mental body with authority to direct the distribution of 
coal, lay largely in the hands of the Shipping Board and the 
Railroad War Board. 

A brief description of transportation conditions, as they 
affected New England's coal supply during the summer of 
1917, will perhaps give a better understanding of the neces- 
sity for the almost constant presence in Washington of Mr. 
Storrow as chainnan of the New England Coal Committee 
during this period. 

The railroad situation was very bad on the New England 
lines, where the embargoes were continuous during the 
summer, as also for much of the time on the New Haven 
Road. There was also great congestion on the railroads^ 
all through the eastern territory, and it was especially 
acute on the coal carriers. The Pennsylvania, Baltimore & 
Ohio, Norfolk & Western, and the Chesapeake & Ohio, had 
thousands of loaded coal cars standing on the rails for weeks 
at a time which they were unable to move. At the great 
railroad piers at Hampton Roads, over which a large part 
of New England's coal supply must pass, the conditions 
were also very adverse. There was no co-ordination in the 
work of the three railroads — the Norfolk & Western, Ches- 
apeake & Ohio, and the Virginian — which bring coal down 
from the West Virginia fields. At times there would be 
great congestion at one of the piers, while the other pier 
had no coal and was scarcely operating. 

The coaling of naval vessels and transports also kept 
New England's coal vessels away from the loading piers 
for days at a time. No steps were being taken for bunkering 
in the stream troop and munition transports, which would 
have greatly relieved the situation. A transport would gen- 
erally require longer to take on a few hundred tons than a 
specially built New England collier to receive as many 
thousand. 

474 



A large part of Mr. Storrow's time in Washington, during 
the summer and fall, was spent before the Railroad War 
Board and the Priorities Committee of the Council of 
National Defense. Strong efforts were made to obtain gen- 
eral priority orders for the shipment of coal to New England, 
for additional motive power for the New England railroads, 
and for the necessary steel to complete the New London 
bridge on the New Haven Road. But in those days nearly 
all the governmental policies were in the making, and 
prompt effective action was unobtainable. In the last few 
days of the Railroad War Board a plan was put into effect 
separating the eastern territory into various operating dis- 
tricts. The headquarters of the eastern district was lo- 
cated in Pittsburg. The day following the announcement 
of this new arrangement Mr. Storrow was in Pittsburg and 
appeared before this new committee, appealing again for 
decisive action from the railroad authorities to relieve the 
New England situation. Relief was not granted, and in a few 
more days the committee went out of existence. In the 
meantime the situation of the railroads was constantly grow- 
ing worse instead of showing improvement. 

As the government was hard pressed for vessels for over- 
seas work, the navy and the Shipping Board w^re almost 
every day announcing their intention of taking more of 
New England's colliers, and more of the tugs used to tow 
our coal barges. This necessitated weekly and almost 
daily representation before the war, Navy and other gov- 
ernment departments, and before the Shipping Board, of 
the critical shortage of New England's coal-carrying fleet, 
and the effect upon the war program in New England if 
further takings were made. 

During the summer a number of conferences were held 
in Washington by the Executive Committee of the New 
England Coal Committee with the senators from the New 
England States, and the latter gave the heartiest co-opera- 
tion at all times to the committee's efforts to obtain relief 
in Washington. In August the Executive Committee, after 

475 



having exhausted every resource in Washington, sought and 
obtained an interview with the President, and, with the 
aid of a large committee of representative men coming from 
every State in New England, placed before him personally 
the critical situation, and the necessity for decisive action 
by the government if New England's production of war 
materials was not to be crippled. 

The New England Coal Committee gave its constant atten- 
tion during the summer of 1917 to the anthracite situation. 
The grave danger of an anthracite shortage in New Eng- 
land became early apparent, and an effort was made with 
the anthracite operators to secure increased shipments. 
The congestion on the railroads presented serious difRcid- 
ties in the way of an increased movement. It was therefore 
suggested by the New England Committee that the anthra- 
cite operators should run solid trains of anthracite to various 
natural distributing points in New England, the trains not 
to be broken up until reaching their destination. In this 
way anthracite might be brought into New England in 
spite of embargoes against the New England railroads. 
This movement was started about the 1st of June, and was 
pushed with energy throughout the summer and fall. As 
a result, New England secured many additional thousands 
of tons of anthracite. 

Within a few weeks after its organization, the committee 
began a campaign to secure prompt unloading of coal- 
carrying equipment by consignees. It obtained from each 
of the New England railroads, every week, the name of 
each consignee who had held a car of coal beyond the free 
time. The attention of each delinquent was called imme- 
diately to his delay, and he was asked to unload and release 
the car at once. A careful card catalogue was kept, and a 
representative of the committee visited every consignee 
whose name recurred on the lists. 

Early in the work of the Committee it was found that the 
carrying capacity of our coal barges was not being utilized 
with the greatest efficiency, on account of the method of 

476 



individual operation by each owner. A particular ocean- 
going tug would make a trip pulling less than its capacity 
of coal barges, since the company owning the tug on that 
day might have only a single barge of its own going to the 
port of destination; or a tug might lie in port waiting for 
its owner's barge to take its turn at the pier, to be loaded 
or unloaded. 

To remedy this condition a plan for pooling all the ocean- 
going tugs was worked out by the committee, and a vol- 
untary association of the owners of all ocean-going barges 
and tugs, known as the New England Coal Barge and 
Towers' Association, was formed with the help of the Ship- 
ping Board. 

Mr. Storrow was made chairman of the Executive Com- 
mittee of this association, and rules were framed and rates 
established for towing each other's barges, to the end that 
every ocean-going tug should be kept moving all the time 
without waits at either end for empty or loaded barges, 
and always to the full capacity of the tug. A central office 
was opened at 148 State Street, Boston, and the movement 
of all the ocean-going tugs and barges was put in charge of 
Capt. Arthur L. Crowley, who, by the aid of complete, 
accurate daily and hourly information, and a dispatching 
board showing at a glance the location every hour of every 
tug and barge scattered along the coast from Hampton 
Roads to Eastport, controlled and dispatched these tugs and 
barges so as to greatly increase their efficiency and carrying 
capacity. 

A similar association of the owners of the smaller tugs 
and smaller box barges plying along the Sound, especially 
to Connecticut and Rhode Island ports, known as the Long 
Island Sound Barge Operators' Association, was formed a 
little later, with headquarters at 1 Broadway, New York. 
This substantially improved the dispatching and efficiency 
of the smaller tugs and barges, and a member of Mr. Stor- 
row's staff went to New York and became the executive 
secretary of the association. 

477 



With the help of the Shipping Board the necessary barges 
and bunkering machinery were obtained and towed to 
Hampton Roads, so that slow-loading merchant vessels 
requiring only a few tons of coal could be bunkered in the 
stream, instead of adding to the congestion at the piers. 

During the summer there grew up a general expectation 
throughout the country that the government would reduce 
the price of coal, which, in fact, it did, together with the 
price of many other commodities; but the New England 
Coal Committee plainly warned New England consumers 
that the situation was too critical to make it safe for them 
to wait in order to get their coal at a cheaper price. On 
July 24 a printed circular (see Appendix, page 582) warning 
New England consumers of the fuel danger, was sent to all 
manufacturers and public authorities throughout New Eng- 
land, and given wide publicity in the daily press. Under 
the heading "Fill the Bins Now" this circular said: — 

We are not now discussing the question of price, though we fully ap- 
preciate the oppressive burden which has been borne by New England in 
this respect during the last twelve months. We are pointing out that if 
New England is to get through next winter with the coal it must have, 
and thus avoid hardships much greater than even the exorbitant prices 
of last winter, our people must take coal and keep taking coal every day 
to the limit of the New England carrying capacity. 

This duty to keep our carrying capacity working to the full limit dur- 
ing the next ninety days falls especially upon our larger corporate units, 
which have the financial resources and the storage capacity required to 
accumulate now a large proportion of their next winter's supply. The 
obligation, however, rests w^th equal force upon the individual, whether 
householder or manufacturer, who has the financial resources and storage 
capacity to take in his next winter's coal at the present time. In our 
judgment the householder of means should now make sure that his bins 
are full, so that his competition with the poor man during next winter's 
crisis shall be at the minimum. 

Organization of the New England Fuel Administration 

During the summer Congress began debating the fuel situ- 
ation as a sort of tag end to the Lever Act, a very compre- 
hensive measure which had been introduced to deal with the 

478 



food situation. Unfortunately, the references in this act 
to fuel were added rather as an afterthought, and had not 
been as carefully worked out as the provisions covering the 
Food Administration. 

The Lever Act was passed August 10, 1917. The first 
action taken by the President under the fuel section of the 
law was on August 21, when he issued an executive order 
fixing the price of bituminous coal at the mine at $2 a net 
ton, which was $1 lower than the voluntary maximum price 
of $3 which the Peabody committee had secured by the vol- 
untary action of the operators, and endeavored to make 
effective. This was followed on August 23 by the appoint- 
ment of Dr. Harry A. Garfield, president of Williams Col- 
lege, as Federal Fuel Administrator. 

On October 3 Dr. Garfield, as has already been stated, 
appointed Mr. Storrow, the chairman of the Committee on 
Public Safety, Federal Fuel Administrator for New Eng- 
land, and also Federal Fuel Administrator for Massachu- 
setts. At the same time he appointed a fuel administrator 
for each of the other New England States as follows : — 

Maine, James C. Hamlen. 

New Hampshire, Charles M. Floyd. 

Vermont, H. J. M. Jones. 

Connecticut, Thomas W. Russell. 

Rhode Island, George H. Holmes. 

Mr. Floyd later resigned on account of ill health, and 
was succeeded by Mr. Hovey E. Slay ton. Mr. Holmes was 
also compelled to resign for personal reasons in the spring 
of 1918, and was succeeded by Mr. Malcolm G. Chace. All 
of these men served their States with notable fidelity and 
ability. 

The habits of co-operation between the New England 
States, which had been firmly established as the result of 
the work of the New England Coal Committee, bore splen- 
did fruit in the work of the New England Fuel Administra- 
tion. It would not have been difficult to create differences 

479 



of opinion as to whether a car of coal appearing at ]\Iechan- 
icville should move over the Boston & ]\Iaine system to a 
destination in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Ham])shire or 
Maine; or whether a barge at Staten Island pier should 
move to a port in Connecticut, Rhode Island, INIassachu- 
setts, New Hampshire or Maine; or whether a collier leav- 
ing Hampton Roads should proceed to Providence, Boston, 
Portsmouth or Portland. But the spirit of mutual co-oper- 
ation and confidence had been firmly established, and during 
the dangerous and trying days of the winter of 1917-18 the 
broad spirit of mutual helpfulness displayed by the State 
Administrators went far toward pulling New England 
through the winter without a domestic and industrial 
catastrophe. 

The work of local organization in Massachusetts and in 
the other New England States was pushed energetically. 
Dr. Garfield announced, the last week in October, that 
retail prices for coal should be fixed in every community, 
and directed the State Fuel Administrators of New Eng- 
land to undertake the task, subject to his revision. 

A committee of three was established in every city and 
town in Massachusetts in which there was a coal dealer, 
the total number being 312 committees. These committees 
were appointed in almost every instance on the recommenda- 
tion of the local Committee on Public Safety. No coal dealer 
or any one with an interest in the coal industry, was eligible 
for appointment. These local committees everywhere estab- 
lished maximum retail prices, which were based upon a care- 
ful study of all the factors entering into the retail price, 
including the cost at the mines, the cost of transportation 
by rail and by water, and the cost of doing business, with 
the various items entering into the same, such as discharg- 
ing, wastage, delivery, overhead and net profit. Retail 
prices for its locality were recommended by each commit- 
tee, and after careful scrutiny and analysis were finally 
approved by the State Fuel Administrator, subject to the 
approval of the Federal Fuel Administrator in Washington. 

480 



This method proved very effective. If the price had been 
left to the effect of supply and demand, in the critical 
shortage coal would undoubtedly have sold as high as $20 
a ton, and the poor, and those even in moderate circum- 
stances, would have been unable to secure a supply. The 
fixing of prices undoubtedly saved many millions of dollars 
to the people of New England, while at the same time it 
allowed a reasonable profit to the dealer. It is gratifying to 
state that there were very few instances where attempts 
were made to evade the price restrictions. 

At the beginning it was believed that once the local re- 
tail prices had been established after careful investigation, 
the activity of the local committees would be more or less 
normal; but as events developed, and the necessity for 
organized action in nearly every community in the State 
became necessary on account of the critical shortage, the 
work of the fuel committees became more burdensome, 
more detailed, and more fraught with responsibility than 
the work of most other local war agencies. 

In States outside of New England the work of the State 
Fuel Administrator was chiefly delegated to a county com- 
mittee or sub-administrator; but the bedrock foundation on 
which the whole organization of the New England Fuel 
Administration was built, and to which it chiefly owed the 
very great efficiency it possessed, was the local fuel com- 
mittee established in each city and town. Probably few 
communities realized the anxious and laborious tasks per- 
formed in their behalf by their fuel committee, but un- 
questionably the towns and cities of Massachusetts were 
face to face with one of the most critical and menacing 
situations ever encountered in the history of New England, 
and the local fuel committees were the chief instruments in 
providing for their protection. A list of the chairmen of 
these committees in Massachusetts is given in the Appendix, 
page 592. 



481 



Bituminous Shortage during Winter 1917-18 

Receipts of bituminous coal in New England in 1917 were 
actually less than in the previous year, although the speed- 
ing up of New England's factories, to comply with the gov- 
ernment's ever-expanding war program, brought about a 
great increase in coal consumption, as has already been 
mentioned. The result was that New England went into 
the winter practically without any reserve coal supply, 
whereas it has always been customary for the New England 
public utility and manufacturing plants to start the winter 
with a supply of coal in storage sufficient to carry them for 
three or four months, because experience had shown how the 
winter weather ties up the carrying capacity of our rail- 
roads, colliers and barges. 

By the first week in December, 1917, the seriousness of 
the fuel shortage in New England, which Mr. Storrow had 
presented with great ability and persistence before all the 
government agencies which in any way had authority to 
furnish relief, including the President, every day became a 
bitter reality. The winter of 1917-18 was of unusual sever- 
ity. All through the eastern section of the United States 
there was terrific cold; Boston Harbor was frozen solid; 
at times even the southern coal piers at Hampton Roads 
were completely frozen up. Philadelphia and Baltimore 
harbors were frozen in, but as the result of Mr. Storrow's 
urgent pleading they were broken out by the Navy Depart- 
ment with battleships in order to release coal-bearing 
steamers for New England ports. St'aten Island Creek, 
where a good deal of our anthracite is loaded on barges, as 
well as Long Island Sound, were frozen, and for a period of 
several weeks at a time no tug or barge was able to move. 
The coal was frozen in the cars at the piers and could not 
be dumped, and on railroads and piers the intense cold on 
some days stopped the movement of freight, as the crews 
were unable to work. The vital truth of the fact which Mr. 
Storrow had been endeavoring to jjresent to the minds of 
the authorities in Washington, most of whom were un- 

482 



familiar with New England conditions, — that New Eng- 
land's ability to receive coal in winter was greatly limited 
by weather conditions, therefore making it necessary to 
push the maximum amount of coal possible during good 
weather conditions in the summer and fall months, — was 
borne out to the letter. 

The New England Fuel Administrator during the critical 
days of December and January was spending practically all 
of his time in Washington in a continuous campaign before 
the government bureaus and departments, seeking to obtain 
action that would bring relief. Directly William G. McAdoo 
was appointed Director-General of Railroads, Mr. Storrow 
sought his interest and help, and an appointment was 
granted him on the succeeding Sunday afternoon to explain 
New England's plight. Mr. McAdoo decided at once that 
immediate and drastic action was required, and after a 
conference with Dr. Garfield issued an order for the ship- 
ment of 500 cars of coal a day to New England, to be dis- 
tributed by order of the New England Fuel Administrator, 
in order to relieve the situation. This prompt action on the 
Director-General's part was the first step taken for the relief 
of New England by any government agency. 

The order provided that cars should be placed by the 
railroads at the mines designated every day for this move- 
ment, which it was contemplated should be in addition to 
the normal movement to New England of coal under con- 
tract. For the purpose of cutting red tape and securing 
immediate action, Mr. Storrow pledged his personal credit 
for the coal so shipped. The order provoked a great deal 
of opposition in other Atlantic States which the coal had 
to traverse to reach New England, but Mr. McAdoo stood 
firmly by the order. The order was not strictly adhered to, 
especially in the case of the Pennsylvania Railroad, but the 
shipments, nevertheless, were large, and the relief furnished 
thereby was most important, because it furnished the Fuel 
Administration a liquid supply of rail coal which could be 
effectively used in rendering quick relief in emergency cases. 

483 



A few days previously, in the last days of the old Rail- 
road War Board, the New England Fuel Administrator 
had obtained from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad a thou- 
sand cars bound for the AYest, which had been standing 
on the rails for days, unable to move on account of con- 
gestion. These cars were reshipped, or diverted, to New 
England by all-rail routes, instead of to their original west- 
ern consignees, and were all consigned to the New England 
Fuel Administrator. 

Within a few days after the 500-car order was obtained, 
Mr. Storrow secured the diversion to New England of the 
Panama collier "Achilles," loaded with 12,500 tons of coal 
for the Panama Railroad. Following this trip the "Achilles " 
and her sister ship the "Ulysses" were for many months 
regularly loaded for the account of the New England Fuel 
Administrator with emergency coal, and gradually other 
vessels were added to this service. 

The relief furnished by these emergency shipments came 
just in time to save New England from a catastrophe. 
By breaking them up into very small units, as no more 
than a few days' supply could be furnished any consumer. 
New England came through the crisis not only without a 
breakdown, but even without substantial suffering. Rail- 
roads, street railroads, electric light and power i)]ants, gas 
plants, municipal water and sewerage plants, and many im- 
portant munition plants, as well as domestic consumers, 
were on many occasions only carried through by means 
of emergency coal furnished by the New England Fuel 
Administration. 

A description of a few of the more serious cases will well 
illustrate the general condition throughout the six New 
England States. 

The Maine Central Railroad, with a daily consumption 
of 2,000 tons of coal, was in a dangerous condition through- 
out the winter. For the two months of February and March 
the New England Fuel Administration, in order to keep 
this railroad open and the State of Maine from collapse, had 

484 



to find and send to the Maine Central over 1,000 tons of 
coal per day. 

The Boston & Maine Railroad, with a consumption of 
more than 5,000 tons daih% was dependent during February 
and March on the New England Fuel Administration for 
2,500 tons or more of coal each day. 

The Bay State Street Railway Company, the largest 
railway system in New England, operating 525 miles of 
track and serving territory in eastern New England from 
Newburyport, Mass., to Newport, R. I., was on a day-to- 
day basis for its coal supply throughout almost the entire 
winter. Its consumption during the winter was 460 tons 
daily at its 14 power houses. On March 2, its largest power 
station, at Quincy, with a daily consumption of 139 tons, 
had but two days' supply on hand, of which 150 tons had 
been borrowed. At its station at Lynn, on the same day, 
it had three days' supply, and at its stations at Portsmouth 
and Chelsea, five days' supply. Its power station at New- 
port was operating on coal borrowed from the naval station. 

The Boston Elevated Street Railway, although in com- 
mon with other street railways in New England it had re- 
duced its service to a minimum, found its coal supply during 
March so low that it required emergency assistance from the 
New England Fuel Administration to prevent a shutdown. 

Many of the other street railways in New England found 
themselves during January, February and March with 
their reserves exhausted and unable to obtain coal, and had 
to be assisted by the New England Fuel Administration 
from its limited emergency supply. The following street 
railways were also among those which were furnished emer- 
gency coal in order to prevent shutdowns : — 

Berkshire Street Railway, 

Norton, Taunton & Attleboro Street Railway. 

Brockton & Plymouth Street Railway. 

Blaekstone Valley Street Railway. 

Northampton Street Railway. 

Blue Hill Street Railway. 

485 



Emergency coal for the Berkshire Street Railway and the 
Northampton Street Railway, located in the extreme western 
end of Massachusetts, had to be shipped all-rail from Boston, 
where it had been received by tidewater from Hampton 
Roads. 

The reserves of practically all gas companies in New 
England were exhausted early in January, and in February 
and March many of the larger companies had to obtain 
their supply from the New England Fuel Administration's 
emergency shipments. A number of companies were entirely 
dependent on this emergency supply. 

The Narragansett Electric Company, in Rhode Island, 
was on a day-to-day basis throughout the winter, and had 
to receive emergency coal from the Fuel Administration ' to 
keep in operation. 

The Rhode Island Company, in Providence, came down 
to three days' supply, and the Fuel Administration had to 
furnish emergency coal to prevent it from shutting down. 

Many important munition plants would have been 
closed if the New England Fuel Administration had not 
rushed in an emergency supi)ly just in time to save them 
from a shutdown. Hospitals, municipal water and sewer- 
age pumping stations, and hundreds of manufacturing ])lants 
all over New England, were also saved from closing by ship- 
ments of emergency coal. 

The extreme danger of the situation is very concretely 
shown by the distribution order of the 12,500-ton cargo of 
the collier "Achilles," which arrived in Boston on January 
17, 1918, with emergency coal consigned to the New Eng- 
land Fuel Administrator, to be distributed by him. The 
following is a verbatim copy of the order: — 



486 



January 17, 1918. 

Charles P. Chase, 86 Devonshire Street, Boston, Mass. 

The shipment of bituminous coal consigned to the New England 
Fuel Administrator, arriving by S. S. "Achilles," is to be apportioned 
as follows: — 



Name. 


Post Office Address. 


Freight Destination. 


Tons. 


Town of Middleborough 


Middleborough, Mass, . 


New York, New Haven & 


100 


water department. 




Hartford Railroad. 




Ware water works, 


Ware, Mass., . 


Boston & Maine, Southern 
Division. 


60 


Town of Foxborough water 


Foxborough, Mass., 


Care of Coal Company Sid- 


60 


department. 




ing. 




North Adams, Mass., water 


North Adams, Mass., 


Boston & Maine, Fitchburg 


60 


department. 




Division. 




Metropolitan water works, . 


Chestnut Hill, Brookline, 


Brookline Station, Boston & 


_ 




Mass. 


Albany. 




Cambridge water works. 


Cambridge, Mass., 


Fresh Pond; Boston & 
Maine, Fitchburg Divi- 
sion. 


60 


Boston State Hospital, 


Notify Mr. Merrill, State 


Boston; Bird Street Station, 


60 




House, Boston. 


New York, New Haven & 
Hartford Railroad. 




Psychopathic Hospital, 


Notify Mr. Merrill, State 


Boston ; Harvard Street Sta- 


_ 




House, Boston. 


tion, New York, New- 
Haven & Hartford Rail- 
road. 




Foxborough Hospital for the 


Notify Mr. Merrill, State 


Foxborough, New York, 


200 


Insane. 


House, Boston. 


New Haven & Hartford 
Railroad. 




State Farm, .... 


State Farm, . 


Titicut, New York, New 
Haven & Hartford Rail- 
road. 


~ 


Massachusetts Hospital 


Canton, Mass., 


Canton Junction, New 


60 


School. 




York, New Haven & Hart- 
ford Railroad . 




Lakeville State Sanatorimn, 


Middleborough, Mass., . 


New York, New Haven & 
Hartford Railroad. 


100 


Attleboro Sanatoriiim, 


Attleboro, Mass., . 


New York, New Haven & 
Hartford Railroad. 


60 


Bay State Fishing Company, 


- 


3 trawlers, .... 


- 


Albion K. Parker, 


Chairman, Fuel Commis- 


New York, New Haven & 


30 




sion, Norwood, Mass. 


Hartford Railroad. 




C. M. Prouty, 


Chairman, Fuel Com- 
mission, Spencer, Mass. 


Boston & Albany Railroad, 


60 


Taunton municipal light 


Taunton, Mass., 


New York, New Haven & 


200 


plant. 




Hartford Railroad. 




Bay State Street Railway, . 


Chelsea, Mass., 


To be lightered, . 


400 


Bay State Street Railway, . 


Quincy, Mass., 


To be lightered, . 


550 


Grafton County Electric 


White River Junction, 


Boston & Maine Railroad, . 


60 


Light and Power Company. 


Vt. 






Grafton County Electric 


Lebanon, N. H., . 


Boston & Maine Railroad , . 


60 


Light and Power Company. 








New England Power Com- 


Uxbridge, Mass., . 


Uxbridge; New York, New 


400 


pany. 




Haven & Hartford Rail- 
road via Boston & Maine, 
Worcester. 




Town of Brookline water de- 


Brookline, Mass., . 


Care of Highland Ice Com- 


60 


partment. 




pany, West Roxbury Sta- 
tion, New York, New Ha- 
ven & Hartford Railroad. 




Town of Brookline water de- 


Brookline, Mass., . 


Brookline Water Board, 


60 


partment. 




Brookline Station, Boston 
& Albany Railroad. 




Gloucester Coal Company, . 


Gloucester, Mass., . 


Boston & Maine, 


250 



487 



N.OIE. 



Post Office Address. 



Freight Destination. 



Tons. 



Leominster Coal Company, . 
Brookline Coal Company, . 
Framingham Coal Company, 
City of Medford, . 

Lynn Gas and Electric Com- 
pany. 

Malden-Melrose Gas Light 
Company. 

Pittsfield Coal Gas Com- 
pany. 

Nashua Light, Heat and 
Power Company. 

Wakefield municipal light 
plant. 

Woburn Gas Light Company, 

Milford Gas Company, 

Salem Gas Light Company, . 

Attleboro Gas Light Corpora- 
tion. 
Lawrence Gas Company, 

Westfield Gas and Electric 

Light Company. 
Rockland, Thomaston & 

Camden Street Railway 
City of Boston, 

City of Boston, 

City of Boston, 

Brockton Hospital, 

City of Boston Consump- 
tives Hospital. 

St. Albans Gas Company, . 

D. W. Powers, 

City of Everett, . 

American Sugar Refining 
Company. 



Leominster, Mass., 

Brookline, Mass., 

Framingham, Mass 

Medford, Mass., 

Lynn, Mass., . 

Maiden, Mass., 

Pittsfield, Mass., 

Nashua, N. H., 

Wakefield, Mass., 

Woburn, Mass., 

Milford, Mass., 

Salem, Mass., 

Attleboro, Mass., 

Lawrence, Mass., 

Westfield, Mass., 

Rockland, Me., 

Pumping Station, Cow 

Pasture, Mass. 
Deer Island, Mass., 

Long Island, Mass., 

Brockton, Mass., 

W. W. Kee, City Hall, 
Boston, Mass. 

St. Albans, Vt., 

Marlborough, Mass., 

Care of Wm. E. Weeks, 

Mayor. 
South Boston, Mass., 



New York, New Haven & 

Hartford Railroad. 
Brookline, Boston & Albany, 

Boston & Albany, 

Boston & Maine, Western 

Division. 
To be lightered, . 

Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Maine, 

New York, New Haven & 

Hartford Railroad. 
Boston & Maine, 

Boston & Albany, 

Boston & Maine and Maine 

Central. 
To be lightered, . 

To be lightered, . 

To be lightered, . 

New York, New Haven & 

Hartford Railroad. 
Care of City Fuel Company 

Milton, Mass., New York, 

New Haven & Hartford 

Railroad. 
Central Vermont Railway, . 

Boston & Maine, . 

West Street Station, Boston 

& Maine, Everett. 
To be lightered, . 



100 

30 

30 

60 

500 

800 

200 

140 

60 

100 

100 

400 

160 

500 

100 

100 

600 

600 

600 

30 

100 

30 

60 

100 

1,000 



Balance of "Achilles" cargo, approximately 3,000 tons, to be divided equally between Boston 
retail dealers, as follows: — 

City Fuel Company, Albany Street, 1 lighter. Staples Coal Company, Albany Street, 
1 lighter. Warren-Bradford Coal Company, Albany Street, Wellington-Wild Coal Company, 
Charlestown, Mass., and Massachusetts Wharf Coal Company, East Boston, Mass., lighters to 
be furnished by Maritime Coaling Company. 



488 



Suffering was prevented in many communities during the 
winter by the wholesale use of wood for fuel, not only for 
the purpose of heating dwelling houses and apartments, but 
also office buildings and hotels. In a number of cases it was 
used in factories for the production of power. One factory 
in Worcester, unable to obtain coal, burned 30,000 cords of 
wood in order to keep in operation. 

Fortunately the New England Fuel Administration, 
almost immediately after its organization, had started an 
energetic wood-cutting campaign throughout the State. 
The result had been an enormous increase in the amount of 
cord wood cut during the fall and winter, and thousands of 
cords of this green wood were burned during the shortage 
where coal had ordinarily been used. During 1918 the wood- 
cutting campaign was continued vigorously under the leader- 
ship of Mr. Jerome R. George of Worcester. 

The coal short/age was so dangerous in January that it was 
necessary to put into effect v0ry stringent conservation 
measures. These provided that stores and office buildings 
should not open before 9 a.m., and must close at 5 p.m. All 
theatres and moving-picture shows were closed at 10 p.m. 
On two occasions in Boston it was necessary, for a period of 
several days, to put an embargo on the delivery of coal to 
factories, stores and office buildings, as the supply in the 
dealers' j^ards was so low that it was absolutely imperative 
to save it for use in heating dwelling houses and hospitals, 
pending the arrival of new shipments. The severe measures 
which had to be taken were in all cases cheerfully complied 
with by the public, with the result that the crisis was passed 
throughout the State without suffering. 

In this connection mention should be made of the Federal 
five-day closing order, followed by the so-called "heatless 
Mondays." On account of the dangerous congestion of the 
railroads — which had become so critical that a large num- 
ber of vessels were tied up in New York Harbor loaded with 
much-needed supplies for our army and the Allies, and had 
been waiting for weeks without being able to get bunker 

489 



coal — Dr. Garfield decided that drastic action was neces- 
sary in order to bring relief. 

Announcement was made on the evening of Wednesday', 
January 16, that for five days, beginning the following 
Friday, the consumption of coal in territory east of the Mis- 
sissippi River would be forbidden to any industry except 
shi]:)-building and food-jjroducing i)lants, and a few prin- 
cipal munition factories. This meant that practically all 
factories except those specifically exempted, and all stores 
and office buildings, were to be closed; and it was further 
announced that for the five Mondays following there would 
be similar "heatless" days, unless there was an improve- 
ment in the fuel situation which would make it possible to 
revoke the order. The offices at the State House following 
the announcement of the closing days presented unusual 
scenes. People were already gravely concerned over the 
shortage of domestic fuel, for in many places it was on a 
bag-supply basis. The order suspending the work of the 
greater part of our population fell like a thunderbolt, and 
was notice, if further notice was needed, of the gravity of the 
situation. The corridors in the State House were thronged 
from morning till late at night wuth manufacturers, store- 
keepers and owners of ofiice buildings, all asking for infor- 
mation and rulings on the closing days and heatless Mondays 
as applied to their establishments. 

The time was so short, and the information with which 
to make rulings so inadequate, that these days were a great 
strain on the Fuel Administration, not only in Massachu- 
setts but in the other New England States. In Massachu- 
setts the work was greatly aided by a voluntary committee 
of Boston lawyers, under the chairmanship of Mr. W. Rod- 
man Peabody, who made rulings night and day until all the 
questions brought in by letter, telephone, telegram or per- 
sonal interview had been answered. The chairmen of the 
local fuel committees tliroughout the State, as well as the 
executive staff in Boston, were in many instances called out 



490 



of bed in the early morning to interpret closing rules for some 
anxious citizem A fine spirit of patriotism and eagerness 
to help the government out of the emergency was every- 
where exhibited by the public, and the order was observed 
throughout New England with the greatest respect. 

As has already been mentioned, one of the principal pur- 
poses of the order, in addition to the saving of coal which 
might be effected, was to give the railroads an opportunity 
to get abreast of their freight. Unfortunately, the weather 
during the five closing days was bitterly cold, so that the 
hoped-for cleaning up on the railroads was much impeded ; 
but considerable progress was made, especially in the way 
of bunkering the much-needed ships in New York Harbor, 

In the weeks that followed, however, the railroads made 
marked progress, and as a result of the improvement in the 
situation the National Fuel Administrator suspended the 
heatless Mondays February 13, but gave authority for any 
State Fuel Administrator to continue them in his State for 
a further period if it seemed necessary. As the outlook con- 
tinued very dangerous in New England it was necessary for 
the fuel administrators in the New England States to con- 
tinue the heatless Monday for an additional week. 



Distribution of Soft Coal by New England Fuel 
Administration 

To deal effectively with the critical shortage it had been 
necessary for the New England Fuel Administration to 
take complete control of the distribution of every pound of 
coal which came into New England. An organization had 
to be built up almost overnight, not only to direct the dis- 
tribution of all the coal entering New England, but also 
to handle the shipments of emergency coal, all of which 
were shipped to the order of the New England Fuel x4dmin- 
istrator, and which placed him within a very few days in 
the position of conducting and being personally financially 
responsible for a very large coal business. 

491 



In order to exercise effective control over the all-rail 
shipments, an experienced railroad man was stationed, as 
representative of the New England Fuel Administration, 
at each of the four all-rail gateways, — Maybrook and 
Harlem River on the New Haven, West Albany on the Bos- 
ton & Albany, and Mechanicville on the Boston & Maine. 
By means of these agents the orders for diversions given 
from the New England Fuel Administration office in Boston 
by telegraph or telephone were promptly carried out, and 
the movement of all-rail coal effectively directed. 

A similar control was exercised over water shipments. 
Every shipment arriving at a New England port was dis- 
tributed in accordance with the instructions of the New 
England Fuel Administration. Every cargo was distributed 
to relieve the pressing emergency cases of the moment, re- 
gardless of whether or not the consignees to whom the coal 
was shipped were customers of the particular concern which 
had shipped the coal. 

It should be pointed out that while it is for the selfish 
interest of a coal shipper to endeavor to protect his customer 
in times of emergency so as to secure the customer's good 
will and business in times of competition, yet the New 
England shippers, practically without an exception, said, 
"Tell us what you want and where the coal is most needed, 
and we will make our shipments accordingly." Hardly a 
single request of the New England Fuel Administrator re- 
quired a formal order or any show of authority. The New 
England shippers, both water and rail, recognized New Eng- 
land's crisis, and with the utmost loyalty labored with the 
Fuel Administration to avert danger and prevent distress. 

For the more efficient handling of the business detail in 
connection with shipments of emergency coal, a separate 
Imsiness office for the New England Fuel Administrator was 
opened at 85 Devonshire Street, Boston. Starting with the 
shipments on the 500-car all-rail order of January 3, this 
business increased rapidly in volume, until finally a total of 
over 1,000,000 tons of emergency coal, representing a gross 

492 



business of over $10,000,000, was transacted by the New 
England Fuel Administrator through the Devonshire Street 
office. 

As soon as it became clear that the task of buj'ing, dis- 
tributing and collecting emergency coal had to be assumed 
by the New England Fuel Administrator, the president of 
the New England Wholesale Coal Dealers Association, Mr. 
Borden Covel, was called upon for assistance, and under 
his supervision and direction the special emergency coal 
department at 85 Devonshire Street was organized and de- 
veloped with the necessary assistance, which could only be 
afforded by men who had had experience in the coal business. 
It is fitting that special recognition should be given to the 
able and untiring help rendered by Mr. Covel and his 
assistants. 

During the spring and early summer of 1918, when the 
outlook for the year still seemed dark, the New England 
Fuel Administration made a determined effort to increase 
the flow of box-car bituminous coal sent from Pennsylvania. 
This box-car coal was produced by small independent 
wagon mines. The owners of these mines were accustomed 
to be paid practically spot cash out in the mining region, 
instead of permitting their coal to come forward on the 
usual terms, and but little of it had previously been finding 
its way into New England. It is true that in many cases 
this coal was not as carefully prepared as the coal of the 
larger operators, but at the time this increased movement 
was arranged — early summer of 1918 — the shortage in 
New England was still serious, and there was an overwhelm- 
ing demand for anything that would burn, while the out- 
look for the future was still very uncertain. The New Eng- 
land Fuel Administration arranged to be represented at the 
mines, and to pay the owners of the wagon mines spot cash 
for coal to be shipped to New England for distribution by 
the New England Fuel Administration. This arrangement 
brought in a large additional tonnage. 

As a result of Mr. Storrow's persistence in presenting 

493 



New England's critical condition, the Shipping Board came 
to the rescue. Due to the effective help of Mr. E. F. Carry, 
director of operation, and particularly to the experience 
and ability of Mr. P. A. S. Franklin, chairman of the Ship- 
ping Control Committee, New England's coal fleet grew 
rapidly in carrying power, until on August ], 1918, it had 
risen to 111 steamers, capable of carrying 476,762 tons 
of coal at a single trip. The Shipping Board gave to Mr. 
Storrow authority to determine the charters, and to desig- 
nate the destination and consignees, of these coal-carrying 
steamers which it turned into the New England coal trade. 

A careful system of chartering and directing the move- 
ment of these steamers was worked out with the very able 
assistance and co-operation of Capt. Arthur L. Crowley, 
the New England managing agent of the Shipping Board, 
so that the steamers moved to the particular southern port 
and pier which, under the actual conditions on the day of 
their arrival, would give them the quickest loading. This 
system involved practically an hourly knowledge in the 
administration office of actual conditions at all the southern 
piers, and frequently of diversions of steamers en route to 
offset unexpected delays, breakdowns in pier machinery, or 
fluctuations in the coal or labor supply at the piers. 

Similarly, to get these vessels unloaded as promptly as 
possible at the New England end, every New England port 
and pier capable of taking a steamer had to be served with 
coal continuously, and worked to its full capacity. Con- 
stant watch, by wire and telephone, was kept up and down 
the coast, and steamers were fed into each particular pier 
at Searsport or Portland, Portsmouth, Boston, Fall River, 
New Bedford or Providence as fast as the pier could take 
them, while every means was taken to encourage extra 
effort at our New England piers to increase their efficiency. 

A very complete system for obtaining information of the 
daily shipments of coal to New England, both by rail and 
water, was built up at the office at the State House. It was 
there known, day by day, the amount of coal which had 

494 



the previous day been loaded for New England by water 
from every loading port; also its destination and the name 
of the consignee. The daily reports from the administra- 
tion's agents at the all-rail gateAvays gave the same detailed 
information for every car of coal that entered New England 
by rail. With this information at hand it was not only 
possible to effectively control the distribution of the coal 
shipped into New England, but it was also possible, at all 
times, to tell whether shipments were being made ffom the 
mines in accordance with the schedule established by the 
Federal Fuel Administration in Washington, and to show 
exactly' where the deficiencies in shipments were occurring. 

Improvement in Bituminous Situation 

During February and March, 1918, every effort was put 
forth at Washington to secure a definite budget of bitu- 
minous coal for the coal year 1918-19, in order to prevent 
the recurrence of a similar shortage the following winter. 
A careful statement of New^ England's requirements was 
placed before the Federal Fuel Administration and the 
Shipping Board, whose experts went over the data at first 
hand in order to reach a decision on the New England 
budget. At a meeting held March 14, in Washington, the 
New England budget of bituminous coal for the coal year 
beginning April 1, 1918, was set at 30,000,000 net tons by 
the Fuel Administration, the representatives of the Ship- 
ping Board and Railroad Administration concurring. As 
part of the budget a definite schedule was made for all-rail 
and water movement by barge from New York and Phila- 
delphia, and by steamer and barge from Hampton Roads 
and Baltimore. 

Shipments during April, May and June were much below 
the schedule, and up to September the situation continued 
to give great anxiety. Gradually, however, the full effect 
of the measures which had been put into effect to improve 
conditions began to be experienced, and by December 1 
New England had received nearly 4,000,000 tons more of 

495 



bituminous coal than during the same period of the pre- 
vious year. This amount might have been made even 
greater, so far as its handling and financing was concerned, 
if New England could have shown that its industries needed 
and were entitled to receive it; but by October 1 it became 
clear that any possible danger of a crisis had been averted, 
and after that time all direct consignments to the New Eng- 
land Fuel Administration were cut off, and the number of 
steamers plying in the trade was gradually reduced from week 
to week. In December the situation became so easy that Mr. 
Storrow announced there would be no further regulation of 
bituminous coal in New England, and the business was 
restored to its normal channels, except that the government's 
fixed prices were to be continued until they were canceled 
by the Washington authorities. 

It will perhaps be of interest to briefly describe the causes 
which, within a period of less than a year, brought about 
this striking change in the Nation's bituminous coal supply. 
The effect of the "zoning system" was the most important 
single factor. The producing fields were divided into dis- 
tricts or zones, and shipments of coal from each of these 
zones were limited to certain States prescribed by the Fuel 
Administration. This caused the Middle Western States 
to obtain a larger proportion of their supply near home, 
from the unburdened coal fields of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois 
and Kentucky, thus taking pressure off the Pennsylvania 
and West Virginia mines, — the sources of supply for New 
England and the other eastern munition-j^roducing States, 
as well as for the unprecedented demands of the army and 
navy. This "zoning" also reduced the average haul from 
mine to consumer, and so increased the available number of 
coal cars and locomotives. The "zoning system" was a 
constructive measure which reached the fundamental causes 
of the bituminous shortage of the preceding year and effec- 
tively cured the trouble. Its esta})lishment was a great 
achievement, for which Dr. Garfield, the Federal Fuel Ad- 
ministrator, is entitled to the highest praise. 

496 



A further decisive action which had a very important 
effect was the taking of complete and effective control by 
the National Fuel Administration of all the bituminous coal 
produced. This was brought about by establishing a district 
representative of the Fuel Administration in each coal^ 
producing region, and also by giving adequate authority 
to the State Fuel Administrators to make diversions of bi- 
tuminous coal inside their States, in order that the coal 
might be distributed in accordance with the preference list 
as determined by the War Industries Board. 

The remarkable improvement in the operation of the 
railroads under Director-General McAdoo was also a factor 
in the improvement in the coal situation, the importance of 
which cannot be overemphasized. On the New England 
roads, as well as upon the coal-carrying roads, this improve- 
ment was steadily experienced. At practically all times 
after April 1, 1918, the beginning of the new coal year, the 
New England railroads, in spite of carrying an unprece- 
dented volume of freight, would have been able to carry 
more coal if it had been possible for the coal to have been 
furnished by the Fuel Administration. The constantly re- 
curring embargoes of the previous year became entirely a 
thing of the past. 

The Railroad Administration also greatly helped the coal 
movement to New England by the effective remedying of 
the obstacles to prompt loading at the great railroad piers 
at Hampton Roads and at Baltimore, and also by the ef- 
ficiency with which these piers were kept fed with coal. 
This work was under the direction of Mr. Carl R. Gray, 
director of the Division of Operation, and his assistants, 
Mr. W. C. Tyler and Mr. Frank C. Wright, and was handled 
with unceasing energy and great skill. 

The conservation work conducted by the New England 
Fuel Administration was of great value, and deserves special 
mention. A State-wide propaganda was conducted by means 
of the daily press, correspondence, speakers and display 
posters, urging the necessity of saving coal as a war measure. 

497 



Mam' practical methods of securing economy in the use of 
coal were put into effect; for example, elevator service in 
office buildings and stores was curtailed ; lumecessary light- 
ing was stopped in hotels, stores and public buildings; and 
street lighting was reduced to the absolute minimum re- 
quired for public safety. 

Under the leadership at first of Mr. A. S. Cobb, and sub- 
sequently of Dr. Ira N. Hollis, president of the Worcester 
Polytechnic Institute, a thoroughgoing movement for con- 
servation in steam plants was pushed throughout the State. 
The manufacturers and other owners of steam plants were 
most cordial in their co-operation. Factory fuel committees 
were appointed in practically every plant in the State, and 
a thorough personal examination, both of the production 
and the use of the power after it was produced,, was made by 
a board of excellent engineers, selected by an advisory com- 
mittee, and among whom the State was districted. It is 
well within bounds to say that, under the able and experi- 
enced leadership of the Conservation Department, the State 
of Massachusetts effected a saving of well over a million 
tons of coal which otherwise would have been wasted. 



The Anthracite Shortage 

Up to this point the account of the fuel situation in New 
England has been mainly concerned with soft coal, which 
in volume of consumption is by far the more important, 
there being almost three times as much soft coal burned in 
New England as there is anthracite. The story of the an- 
thracite situation in New England during the war is in the 
main similar to that of bituminous coal. 

Although by means of the solid train movement the New 
England Coal Committee had succeeded, in the summer and 
fall of 1917, in bringing into New England many thousands 
of tons of anthracite which otherwise would never have 
been received, the total shipments were inadequate. The 
severe winter, which made necessary a large increase in con- 

498 



sumption, also completely suspended for days at a time the 
movement of coal, both by rail and water, and brought 
about a most dangerous condition in many New England 
cities and towns. Most fortunately the local fuel commit- 
tees, which had been organized in every city and town, were 
on hand to step into the breach. They took complete charge 
of the available supplies of anthracite in their respective 
localities, and serious suffering was everywhere averted. 

In Boston, for example, oli several occasions during the 
winter there was in the yards of the retail dealers not more 
than two days' normal supply of anthracite and bituminous 
coal combined. Early in January it became necessary to 
introduce a ticket system, and at one time there were 30,000 
families with tickets which entitled them to obtain from a 
station 100 pounds of coal every other day. Eighteen de- 
livery stations were established, covering all sections of the 
city. These stations were not only more convenient for the 
public, but also relieved the congestion at the retail dealers' 
wharves and yards. It was a daily experience to see long 
lines of men, women and children, people in limousines and 
boys with sleds, each consumer waiting to receive a 100- 
pound bag of coal. In several communities the domestic 
situation was only relieved by the shipment of cars of 
emergency bituminous coal consigned to the chairmen of 
the local fuel committees, to be distributed under their 
orders. 

Lack of space forbids details of the conditions in other 
places. It is sufficient to say that many other towns and 
cities were also put on what was virtually a ration basis by 
their local fuel committees, consumers being limited to a 
bag of 25 or 100 pounds. It was only the courage, judgment 
and unwearied diligence of the local fuel committees in Lynn, 
Medford, Lowell, Lawrence, Fall River, New Bedford and 
numerous other Massachusetts towns and cities which, 
without loss of life or even substantial suffering, brought 
their communities through the two months of zero weather 
which characterized the New England winter of 1917-18. 

499 



After the crux of the winter was over tlie New England 
Fuel Administration began to make plans for the coming 
year. A statement of the anthracite receipts during the pre- 
vious three years was obtained from the local chairmen in 
every city and town. On the basis of this information, and 
taking into allowance the changes in population, as there 
had been large increases in several localities on account of 
great additions to shipbuilding or munition plants, the an- 
thracite requirements of the entire State were determined. 

The necessities of Massachusetts and the other New Eng- 
land States, if the people were to have enough anthracite 
coal to be kept from suffering in the coming winter, meant 
a very substantial increase in shipments of anthracite to 
this section as compared with the preceding two years. All 
reserves were gone. Never had the dealers' yards and the 
household bins been swept so bare. New England began 
the new coal year with practically no anthracite either in 
the homes or in the dealers' yards. New England plainly 
needed much larger shipments of domestic anthracite. But 
how was she to get it.^ 

Mining conditions at the hard and soft coal mines on 
April 1, 1918, were very dissimilar. Although the number 
of soft coal miners had been somewhat depleted, it was 
believed by all that the better operating conditions on the 
railroads, which, indeed, were already beginning to be felt, 
would bring the cars back oftener to the soft coal mines and 
keep them more nearly in continuous operation. It was also 
known that the zone sj'Stem would give relief to the Penn- 
sylvania and West Virginia soft coal fields by causing the 
Middle Western States to work their home mines contin- 
uously during the summer. This would offset drawing a 
heavy tonnage from the more eastern mines, which must 
supply all the requirements of the army and the navy, as 
well as the abnormal demands of the Atlantic Coast States 
for intensive day and night production of munitions. 

At the anthracite mines there was no such slack to be 
taken up. Located in eastern Pennsylvania as they are, 

500 



their employees were being constantly attracted into the 
steel plants, the shipbuilding yards, and the great near-by 
munition factories. They had lost relatively more men than 
the soft coal mines, and there was no promise that improved 
railway operation could be relied upon to increase their 
output for the coming year. The railroads serving the 
hard coal district of eastern Pennsylvania had been excep- 
tionally strong in car equipment, and were also favored by 
the fact that they could pull a large proportion of their 
tonnage to destination without going through the worst 
congested spots on the railway map. They likewise seemed 
to have been operated better than several of the most im- 
portant soft coal carriers. At any rate, the car supply at 
the hard coal mines had proved to be sufficient to keep them 
in continuous operation throughout the previous coal year. 

The shortage at the soft coal mines had been due to in- 
sufficient cars, and on April 1, 1918, it was clear enough that 
this could probably be improved so as to increase the out- 
put 10 or 12 per cent. The shortage at the hard coal mines 
had not been of cars but of labor, and it was clear enough, 
on April 1, that the mines had fewer miners and less mine 
labor than on April 1 of the preceding year, and that if the 
war continued they would be obliged to go through the 
present coal year still shorter of help than during the pre- 
ceding year. 

There was no place for the New England householder to 
get more coal this year unless it was taken away from some 
other householder elsewhere, who wanted it, was anxious to 
get it, to pay for it and burn it, just as he had done during 
the preceding year. If New England said the householder 
further west could give up his hard coal and burn soft, the 
reply, when the matter was discussed at Washington and 
Philadelphia, was that the householder in the Atlantic 
States could burn the soft coal just as well as the hard. 
The merits of the case were close, but the Federal Fuel 
Administration finally decided to give a larger tonnage of 
domestic anthracite to the Eastern Atlantic States, includ- 

501 



ing Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New 
York and the New England States. A little of this coal was 
picked up in warmer southern States, where obviouslj^ a 
few days of cool weather in winter do not give the kind of 
coal to be burned marked importance to the consumer. 
Some of the coal was taken from the far western States where 
the haul is really rather fantastic, and certainly could not be 
justified during war times. The balance of the domestic 
anthracite was taken from the near western States which 
had good grades of soft coal near at hand. This represented 
a clear economy of transportation and labor, so far as the 
supply for the householders of these western States was 
concerned; and it also represented an economy of trans- 
portation and labor at the eastern ertd, because the hard 
coal region lies well to the east of the soft coal fields, and is 
almost at the door of the householder in New York, New 
Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, and represents the 
minimum amount of labor and transportation necessary to 
get any kind of coal to the New England States. 

It was finally decided that the allotment of domestic 
sizes of anthracite for New England in 1918 would be 
11,570,720 tons, as compared with a delivery in the normal 
coal year ending April 1, 1917, of 9,893,384 tons; and of 
this amount Massachusetts had allotted for the year 6,371,- 
680 tons, as compared with receipts two years ago of 5,631,352 
tons. 

This schedule of increase gave New England 1,677,336 
net tons more than in the normal coal year of 1916-17, and 
Massachusetts had her quota increased 740,328 tons over 
the receipts of that year. 

The next task was to allot equitably between the different 
cities and towns in the State the 6,371,680 tons of domestic 
anthracite destined for Massachusetts. It was obvious that 
the increase of tonnage could not be distributed evenly all 
over the State. War conditions had brought about many 
changes which were daily being accentuated. In one city 
an industrial plant employing before the war less than 300 

502 



employees had expanded to over 12,000, and this was not an 
isolated case. The building up of the Fore River Ship Build- 
ing plant, and the construction of the wholly new great Vic- 
tory Destroyer plant at Squantum, had caused great changes 
in the distribution of population, which were typical of 
changes which had taken place on a smaller scale in other 
sections of the State. It was also true that the freezing of 
the Delaware River and the Staten Island Creek, from which 
came practically the entire anthracite supply of the seaboard 
cities, like Fall River, New Bedford, Boston, Lynn and 
other places on or near the coast, had made the shortage of 
the preceding winter at these places more acute than at 
interior all-rail points. 

The local allotment figures were accepted by the Anthra- 
cite Committee, which undertook on behalf of the Federal 
Fuel Administrator to see that coal moved from the mines 
according to the allotment. But difficulties apparently be- 
yond the control of the Anthracite Committee caused many 
inequalities and consequent shortage in receipts, up to the 
1st of October, in a large number of cities and towns. 

The New England Fuel Administration kept constant 
watch of the shortage, and consequently brought it to the 
attention of the Anthracite Committee and asked for relief. 
In many cases the Anthracite Committee was able to expedite 
shipments and provide the needed relief, but it was found 
early in the autumn that there were many cases of persistent 
shortage, which, for some reason, the Anthracite Committee 
did not seem able to cure. For this reason, on September 
28 an order was obtained from the National Fuel Adminis- 
tration directing the Anthracite Committee at Philadelphia 
to begin shipping 50 cars per da}' of anthracite of domestic 
sizes, consigned and billed to the New England Fuel Admin- 
istrator, to be used to care for emergency cases. All the 
local fuel chairmen were asked to advise of any dealer whose 
customers were in distress because he was out of coal. In 
November the distribution seemed to be still very irregular, 
and the National Fuel Administration gave a second order 

503 



raising the daily consignment to the New England Fuel Ad- 
ministration to 100 cars per day, — 50 cars for Massachu- 
setts, and 50 cars for the other New England States. Ship- 
ments of this emergency anthracite were continued until 
about February 1, 1919. Total orders for more than 4,000 
cars were filled. 

It should be noted that the government never took the 
same control of the anthracite distribution as it did of bi- 
tuminous. The supply of bituminous coal was made abso- 
lutely liquid. The Fuel Administration had its own repre- 
sentatives at the mines, who took control of the coal and 
gave shipping instructions when it left the scales, and upon 
its arrival in any State the State Fuel Administrators had 
clear and definite authority to divert the coal if in their 
opinion it was necessary. As the anthracite situation was 
handled by the Anthracite Committee, composed of anthra- 
cite operators, the tendency was to follow the lines of normal 
trade channels, and the government had no representatives 
at the mines and did not have the same effective control of 
distribution; nor were the State Fuel Administrators en- 
couraged to make diversions within their States. 

In accordance with the order of the National Fuel Ad- 
ministration, the distribution of anthracite coal to house- 
hold consumers was very strictly regulated throughout the 
Commonwealth. In order to obtain delivery of hard coal 
from any retail dealer it was first necessary for the house- 
holder to fill out a blank giving information as to the size 
of his house, the kind of heating plant, the number of rooms, 
amount of coal burned the preceding winter, and the amount 
required the present year. On orders for six tons or less it 
was permissible for the entire order to be filled by the 
dealer, but on all orders of over six tons only two-thirds of 
the order could be delivered until such time as two-thirds 
had been delivered on all orders in the community, and 
until the local fuel administration had granted permission 
for the final third to be delivered. As a matter of fact, coal 
came into many communities so slowly during the summer 

504 



months that the maxmiiim dehvery to any one consumer 
was in many places Ihnited to a single load. 

In addition, local fuel committees went over all the ap- 
plications for coal in each locality, and in all cases which 
seemed excessive they suspended delivery on the order 
until an investigation had been made. In many cases the 
result of the investigation was to materially reduce the 
amount of the order. 

Strong measures were also taken to conserve a supply of 
domestic sizes of anthracite for household heating, and the 
use of anthracite for the heating of factories, office buildings, 
stores, hotels, greenhouses and garages was forbidden. In 
many cases the use of soft coal by apartment houses was 
made compulsory. 

The careful regulation of distribution, the conservation 
for domestic use, the care taken to distribute the supply 
coming into the State in accordance with the actual neces- 
sities of the different communities, the supply of emergency 
coal, the mild weather which reduced the consumption and 
at the same time prevented any serious interruption to 
transportation facilities, and the slight increase in the pro- 
duction of the anthracite mines, all contributed by the 1st 
of February to remove all danger of an anthracite shortage, 
and therefore the Fuel Administration at that time sus- 
pended all its regulatory measures, as they were no longer 
necessary. 

It should perhaps be mentioned, in bringing to a close 
this account of the activities of the New England Fuel Ad- 
ministration, that the work was conducted without expense 
to the State of Massachusetts, except for the payment of 
$2,844.29 on account of preliminary expenses incurred in 
the early stages of the New England Coal Committee. The 
subsequent expenses of the New England Fuel Adminis- 
tration were paid by the Federal government, each New 
England State contributing to maintain the central office 
at the State House out of its allotment from Washington. 
The total amount paid by the Federal government for the 

505 



expense of the Fuel Administration in Massachusetts during 
the eighteen months of its existence was $134,693.98. 

The expenses incurred in connection with the purchase 
and distribution of emergency coal were paid by means of a 
small commission added to the price of the coal to the 
consumer. 

The administration of the finances of the Fuel Adminis- 
tration was handled with notable fidelity and efficiency by 
Mr. Edmund W. Longley, treasurer of the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety. 

The organization and personnel of the New England Fuel 
Administration will be found in the Appendix, page 587. 



506 



Part VII 



TREASURER'S REPORT 

The task of the treasurer of the Committee on Public 
Safety was very exacting, and demanded peculiarly sound 
judgment with untiring patience. Yet notwithstanding the 
complex interests with which he had to deal, and the strict 
economy he insisted upon in every expenditure, Mr. Longley 
at all times retained both the good will and highest regard 
of his associates and the public. 

Mr. Longley's letter to the contributors to the special 
fund for contingent expenses, together with his account as 
treasurer of the Committee, follows : — 

Boston, Mass., June 25, 1919. 
To Each Contributor to a Fund "for the Contingent Expenses of the Execu- 
tive Committee" of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. 

The Treasurer of the Committee takes pleasure in sending you here- 
with a check for 32 per cent of the amount of your generous contribution, 
made in the spring of 1917 to the General Fund of the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety. 

The check represents your proportion of the fund remaining unex- 
pended and unappropriated after winding up the affairs of the Committee 
and paying or providing for all expenses. 

This General Fund amounted to $101,022.85, and was given by 639 
patriotic citizens. While the amount has been sufficient, it has been 
none too large. 

By means of this fund the Committee has been able to make emergency 
payments promptly, and to advance wages each week to employees of 
the Committee and to those of the Federal Food and Fuel Administrations. 

Reimbursement has been received from the Treasurer of the Common- 
wealth of Massachusetts for money advanced employees of the Com- 
mittee and for other emergency payments, and Federal employees, upon 
receiving their pay from Washington, have returned their advances to 
this Committee. The fund has been a revolving fund, and has been 
used more than four times over. 

Pay from W^ashington for Federal employees was necessarilj' slow under 
the government system of paying, and at times many weeks elapsed 
before Federal employees received their pay from the government. At 

507 



about the time of the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, so 
much of the fund had been advanced that the Treasurer beheved it 
would be necessary to secure more money. 

However, with the signing of the armistice, activities of the Committee 
were immediately lessened and soon ceased, and it was unnecessary to 
borrow or ask for further funds. 

The fund has enabled the Committee to act freely, according to its 
best judgment, which would not have been always possible if it had been 
wholly dependent upon State or Federal appropriations. 

Sixty-eight per cent of the fund has been expended for enterprises in 
connection witli war work that in the judgment of the Committee were 
important, but of such nature that the costs might be more properly paid 
from private subscriptions than from State money. 

The officers of the Committee have managed the fund with constant 
care. No member of the Executive Committee or general officer has 
drawn a salary, and none has received pay for personal expenses for as 
much as the cost of a luncheon or a cigar. Further than this, these gentle- 
men and ladies have spent their own money freely to relieve suffering 
and meet emergencies which in their opinions should not be paid out of a 
public fund. 

Financial statements are herewith appended showing receipts and 
expenditures by the Committee in connection with this General Fund. 

There are also given three other statements showing payments from funds 
other than this General Fund, raised for special enterprises, namely: — 

Statement showing receipts and expenditures in connection with funds 
collected for the purpose of placing high school boys on farms in 1917. 

Statement showing receipts and expenditures in connection with funds 
collected for the purpose of equipping and despatching over .S50 men, 
1'20 horses and 10 portable sawmill units from New England to Old 
England June 15, 1917. 

Statement showing receipts and expenditures in connection with funds 
collected for the purpose of increasing the use of milk. 

In addition to these statements of funds raised by private subscrip- 
tions, a statement is attached showing expenditures that have been made 
by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts upon recommendation of the 
Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. These expenditures by the 
Commonwealth have all been made by the State Treasurer, no cash of 
the State having been requested or placed at the disposal of the Massa- 
chusetts Committee on Public Safety, except in the way of reimbursement 
for pay-roll and emergency payments which it had advanced out of its 

General Finid. 

Respectfully yours, 

EDMUND W. LONGLEY, 

Treasurer, Massachusetit Committee on Public Safeti/. 

508 



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513 



Statement of Collections from New England Commonwealths 

TO MEET PkOPORTIONATE PaRTS OF CoST OF THE NeW EnGLAND 

Fuel Committee paid by the Commonwealth of IVIassachusetts 
PRIOR TO the Appointment of a Federal Fuel Administrator 
for Xew Engl.^nd on October 3, 1917. 



Date of 
Collection. 


Commonwealth. 


Amount 
collected. 


Date sent to 

State 

Treasurer. 


Mar. 9, 1918 
Apr. 4, 1918 
Mar. 23, 1918 
Aug. 12, 1918 
May 29, 1919 


New Hampshire, ..... 

Rhode Island, ...... 

Vermont, ....... 

Connecticut, ...... 

Maine, ....... 

Total 


$354 09 
381 32 
550 00 
926 07 
653 70 


May 3, 1918 
May 3, 1918 
Nov. 18, 1918 
Nov. 18, 1918 
June 3, 1919 




$2,8G5 18 





Note. — The remainder of this cost, namely, $2,844.29, was borne by the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts. 



Statement of Collections from Municipalities for Supplies fur- 
nished DURING Epidemic of Spanish Influenza. 



Date of 
Collection. 


CiTT OK Town. 


Amount 
collected. 


Date sent to 

State 

Trea.surer. 


Nov. 13, 1918 


Arlington, ....... 


$132 51 


Jan. 8, 1919 


Nov. 13, 1918 


Bridgewater, 








349 59 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Dec. 5, 1918 


Newton (American Rec 


Cross) , 






30 00 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Nov. 11, 1918 


Nantucket, 








222 30 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Dec. 20, 1918 


Plymouth, . 








128 40 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Dec. 17, 1918 


Salem, 








139 98 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Dec. 12, 1918 


Somerville, . 








287 00 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Nov. 29, 1918 


Tyngsborough, 








40 


Jan. 8 


1919 


Dec. 6, 1918 


Dedham, 








20 00 


Jan. 15 


1919 


Dec. 31, 1918 


Whitman, . 








87 85 


Jan. 15 


1919 


Dec. 31, 1918 


Lawrence, . 








3,419 04 


Jan. 15 


1919 


Jan. 16, 1919 


Fall River, . 








1,297 72 


Jan. 23 


1919 


Jan. 28. 1919 


Brockton, . 








435 25 


Jan. 28 


1919 


Feb. 19, 1919 


Taunton, 








3,167 48 


Feb. 19 


1919 


IMar. 15, 1919 


Lowell, 








1,581 02 


Mar. 25 


1919 


Feb. 20, 1919 


Amesbury, . 








1,503 10 


Mar. 25 


1919 


Mar. 10, 1919 


Cambridge, 








467 03 


Mar. 25 


1919 


Apr. 4, 1919 


Mansfield, . 








3 60 


Apr. 11 


1919 




Total, . 








$13,272 27 







Note. — Nine municipalities to whom bills for supplies amounting to $9,891.04 have been 
sent have not made remittances. 



514 



Expenditures made from General Fund of the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety February 18, 1917, to June 18, 1919. 













Net 


Account 




Total 


Cash 


Payments 

from 

General 


Number. 




Payments. 


collected. 












Fund. 


B-20 


Contributions to cost of fitting out New 












England Sawmill Units for England, 


$12,017 47 


- 


$12,017 47 


B-20 


Cost of printing report, .... 


273 


25 


- 


273 25 


B-^6 


Massachusetts Auxiliary Committee of the 












Department of Justice, 


10,330 


98 


$330 98 


10,000 00 


B-48 


Volunteer Radio School at Mechanics 












Building, ...... 


1,056 


31 


15 00 


1,041 31 


B-52 


Patriotic food meeting at Boston Opera 












House, ...... 


1,104 


32 


- 


1,104 32 


B-54 


Intelligence Bureau, Massachusetts De- 












partment of Justice, Adjutant-General, 


16,553 


89 


115 80 


16,438 09 


B-55 


Worcester recruiting campaign, 


222 


77 


227 00 


4 S3^ 


B-56 


Miscellaneous expenses, . . * . 


4,208 


11 


43 44 


4,164 67 


B-57 


Part pay of special officer at Ayer in serv- 
ice of Committee on Prevention of Social 












Evils Surrounding Military Camps, 


969 


00 


- 


969 00 


B-5S 


Personal telegram, .... 


6 


65 


6 65 


- 


B-62 


Expenses of Speakers' Bureau, 


30 


11 


26 25 


3 86 


B-63 and 


Miscellaneous expenses of the Federal 










B-64 


Milk Commission not collectible through 












Washington, ..... 


273 


06 


1.50 00 


123 06 


B-65 


Advertising — food leaflet to be sent with 












business mail, ..... 


350 


00 


350 00 


- 


B-66 


Food advertising paid by private sub- 












scriptions, ..... 


175 


00 


175 00 


- 


B-74 


Sick pay of employees during the in- 












fluenza epidemic, .... 


1,278 


44 


- 


1,278 44 


B-77 


Cost in excess of appropriation of portable 












house at Ayer, ..... 


167 


79 


- 


167 79 


B-78 


Portion of expenses of community ser^'ice 












on Boston Common, .... 


1,520 


98 


- 


1,520 98 


B-79 


Clerks, final pay, ..... 


368 


00 


- 


368 00 


B-80 


Contribution to the Bureau for Returning 
Soldiers, Sailors and Marines for pay- 












roll purposes, ..... 


4,999 


29 


- 


4,999 29 


B-81 


Publication of report of the activities of the 
Massachusetts Committee on Public 












Safety 


937 


74 


- 


937 74 


B-82 


Expenses of the Committee on War Ef- 












ficiency for distribution of labor, . 


4,452 


25 


- 


4,452 25 


B-83 


Expenses of the Committee on War Re- 












sources, ...... 


771 


48 


- 


771 48 


B-84 


Printing and mailing final financial reports, 


79 


01 


- 


79 61 


B-85 


Certificates for members and employees of 
Public Safety, Food and Fuel Com- 












mittees, ...... 


1,740 


41 


- 


1,740 41 



1 Credit. 



515 



Expenditures made from General Fund — Concluded. 











Net 


Account 




Total 


Cash 


Payments 
from 


Number. 




Payments. 


collected. 










Fund. 


B-86 


Consulting architect, Harold F. Kellogg, . 


$168 47 


_ 


$168 47 


B-87 


Pay of stenographer and clerk engaged in 










winding up affairs of Committee, 


475 00 


- 


475 00 


B-88 


Bill for board and food, at the Hoosic- 
Whisick Club, for nurses during in- 










fluenza epidemic, .... 


64 85 


- 


64 85 


B-90 


Food and sugar pay-roll not collectible 










from Washington, .... 
Total expenditures from General Fund, 


703 07 


- 


703 07 




$65,298 30 


$1,440 12 


$63,858 18 



516 



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)19 



A copy of report of audit of accounts of H. G. Philbrook, treasurer, 
by A. R. Patterson, showing contril)utions and interest received, $119,- 
189.50, and disbursements, $129,17().'-2o, follows. 

After the accounts were turned over to the Massachusetts Committee 
on Public Safety, that Committee contributed $12,017.47 by taking 
up a note then due amounting to $9,986.75, and paying bills presented 
later amounting to $'2,030.72, making the total receipts for the enterprise 
$131,206.97. Disbursements of $129,176.25 made by Mr. Philbrook 
and $2,030.72 made by the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety 
make total expenditures of $131,206.97, which equal the amount of 
total receipts. For details of expenditures see exhibits numbered from 2 
to 10. 

Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety, 

EDMUND W. LONGI.EY, 

Treasurer. 

Report of Audit of Accounts of H. G. Philbrook. 

Stone & Webster, 147 Milk Street, 
Boston, September 14, 1917. 

E. W. LoNGLEY, Esq., Treasurer, Committee on Public Safely, State House, 

Boston, Mass. 

Dear Mr. Longley: — Mr. Philbrook is arranging to forward to 
you by special messenger all of his records in connection with his services 
in the capacity of treasurer of the Committee on Mill Units for England. 

From the accounting viewpoint, the principal records included in 
the schedule which will be presented to you are a combined cash book, 
journal and ledger, and a file of vouchers, the former including entries 
dating from June to September, 1917, and the latter being numbered 
from 1 to 173, inclusive. 

In accordance with your request we have audited the cash book and 
the vouchers and have found them to be satisfactory. The information 
contained therein is summarized as follows : — 

Contributions $119,175 00 

Interest on deposit, 14 50 

$119,189 50 

9,986 75 

$129,176 25 
Disbursements as per vouchers No. 1 to 173, 129,176 25 

Balance, - 

520 



Demand note, June 11, 1917, $25,000 00 

Less payments indorsed 15,013 25 



This combined cash book, together with the vouchers, constitutes a 
simple, clear and, considering the object, adequate record of Mr. Phil- 
brook's transactions as treasurer for this committee. 

We presume you will be concerned with the question of contributions 
yet to be received and possible unpaid bills. This is a subject upon which, 
we understand, Mr. Philbrook personally will write you. In this con- 
nection it would seem desirable to inform you that there will be no charge 
for our services in making this simple audit. 

I shall take pleasure in referring your acknowledgment to this letter 
to Mr. Philbrook in order that he may be possessed of both your receipt 
for the records to be sent you and a copy of this letter representing the 
audit of his accounts. 

Yours very truly, 

A. R. PATTERSON. 



521 



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522 



Report of Expenditures recommended by the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety, and made by the State 
Treasurer. 

Funds were made available for such war and eont:'" ent expenses as 
the Governor and Executive Council might approve under the following 
legislative acts : — 

Under chapter 202 of the Special Acts of 1917, approved March 19, 
1917, the sum of $1,000,000 was appropriated to be expended in de- 
fraying the military, naval and other expenses which the emergency 
arising out of existing conditions and tlie exigencies of possible war might 
render requisite and proper. 

Under chapter 32-1 of the General Acts of 1917, approved May 25, 

1917, the sum not exceeding $1,000,000 was authorized to meet the 
expenses arising from any emergency during the recess of the General 
Court by reason of the exigencies of the existing state of war. 

Under chapter 63 of the Special Acts of 1918, approved March 1, 

1918, the sum not exceeding $200,000 was authorized for the purpose of 
promoting and stimulating the production and conservation of food 
products and for like purposes growing out of the present war emergency. 

Under chapter 139 of the Special Acts of 1918, approved April 24, 
1918, the further sum of $100,000 was appropriated for the purpose of 
promoting and stimulating the production and conservation of food 
production, etc. 

Under chapter 278 of the General Acts of 1918, approved May 31, 
1918, expenditures were authorized not exceeding $1,000,000 to meet 
any emergency which might arise during the recess of the General Court 
by reason of the exigencies of the existing state of war. 

The total expenditure made by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
under these four war appropriations is reported by the Auditor of the 
Commonwealth lo have been $1,489,653.50. 

Expenditures amounting to $823,126.89, including the erection of a 
building wherein shipments could be mobilized in connection with the 
Food Conservation Plan, and preparing the road in front of the Boston 
Fish Pier Freight House, and for the cost of combating the influenza 
epidemic, and considerable expenditures in connection with equipping the 
State Guard, have been made by the State Treasurer on vouchers certi- 
fied to by State departments other than the Massachusetts Committee 
on Public Safety. 

The statement which follows shows expenditures which have been 
made by the Commonwealth upon recommendation of the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety, on vouchers presented and certified to by 
that committee. 



523 



Statement of War Expenses incurred by the Massachusetts 
Committee on Public Safety, paid by the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, from Organization of Committee on February 
15, 1917, TO April 15, 1919 (Two Years and Two Months). 



Account 
and 

Appropria- 
tion 

Numbers. 



Amounts 

appropriated 

by the 

Governor 
and Council. 



Amounts 
expended. 



A-l-A- 
A-7-A- 

A-17 



A-3 



A-13 
A-21 



A-9-5 

A-22 

A-9-3 

A-9-I 

A-14-A-24 

A-38-B 

A-4 

A-44-63 



A-72 
A-32 
A-19-A-38 



A-5 
A-23 



Expenses of organizing and of conducting all 
affairs of the Committee not covered by the 
following special appropriations, including 
furniture, fittings and stationery, wages, print- 
ing, travel, etc., ...... 

Construction and operation. Naval Training 
School at Squanturn, ..... 

Military Expenditures. 

Equipment for men of Base Hospital Unit No. 5, 

Additional expense in connection with Base 
Hospital Unit No. 5, — finger-print outfits, 
medicine, knives, forks and plates for the 
9th Regiment, 

Advertising in connection with recruiting, . 

For recruiting men for National Guard, 

Buttons for recruits, ..... 

Care of and supplies for militia in the field. 

Wooden floors for tents at Watertown Arsenal 
used by militia, ...... 

Returning booths used for shelter by militia from 
Watertown Arsenal to Boston, 

Dental equipment, medicines, etc., in 1917, 

Dental supplies used for drafted men by Harvard 
and Tufts Dental Schools, 1918, and for supplies 
used on the teeth of drafted men and for neces- 
sary expenses of a clerk and records in connec- 
tion with the same, ..... 

For the purchase of 200 hats for the State Guard, 
replacing hats taken by men sent overseas, 

Rental of land opposite Commonwealth Armory 
used by the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, 

Washington expenses of Assistant Executive 
^Manager Donham, securing some $700,000 
worth of clothing and equipment for Massa- 
chusetts troops, ...... 

Veterinarian supplies, ..... 

Installing sanitary system at Framingham for 
State troops, ...... 

Cost of military instructions for providing officers 
and non-commissioned officers of Massachusetts 
National Guard with military instructions 
prior to ordering into Federal service, 



$103,937 05 


45,000 


00 


5,000 


00 


1,086 


49 


2,764 


20 


2,500 


00 


750 


00 


1,452 


06 


1,149 


49 


125 


00 


9,000 


00 


1,940 


00 


350 


00 


67 


60 


1,063 


75 


309 


45 


19,750 


00 


2,430 


01 



$103,144 25 
32,998 24 ' 

5,000 00 



1,086 49 
2,738 25 
2,230 25 
750 00 
1,438 02 

1,149 49 

125 00 
6,556 55 



1,185 31 

350 00 

67 50 



1,063 75 
227 00 



16,933 23 



2,430 61 



1 $20,000 of this amount has been collected from the Bethlehem Steel Corporation for 
.buildings erected, and paid to the Treasurer of the Commonwealth. 



524 



Statement of War Expenses, etc. — Continued. 



Account 




Amounts 




and 




appropriated 


Amounts 


Appropria- 
tion 




by the 
Governor 


expended. 


Numbers. 




and Council. 






Military Expenditures — Con. 






A-60 


For putting aeroplane belonging to Common- 








wealth into commission in 1917, 


$503 28 


$503 28 


A-38-C 


Expenses of instruction of medical officers, Coast 








Defense Course, Class 4, . . . 


293 00 


293 00 




Food Production, and Conservation. 






A-6 


Food Production and Conservation, Genera 








conmiittee expenses, 1917, 


40,000 00 


40,000 00 


A-15 


Fertilizer for Massachusetts Agricultural School 








1917 


1,500 00 


- 


A-8 


Additional help for county agricultural agent 








1917 


35,000 00 


24,494 51 


A-39 


Expenses of Department of Mobilization o 








Schoolboys for Farm Service to April 1, 1918 


4,000 00 


3,714 99 


A-51 


For promoting and stimulating the production o 
food products through establishing schoolboy 








camps since April 1, 1918, 


46,000 00 


35,764 64 


A-50-A 


Expense of promoting and stimulating the pro- 
duction and conservation of food products, 19 IS 








general office expenses, 


41,250 00 


23,533 61 


A-50-B 


License department. 






15,360 00 


3,245 96 


A-50-C 


Retail merchant representatives, 






2,788 00 


1,299 88 


A-50-D 


Hotels and restaurants, . 






4,000 00 


1,168 02 


A-50-E 


Committee on Food Production, 






6,000 00 


975 84 


A-50-F 


Boston produce market service. 






3,000 00 


824 96 


A-50-G 


State-wide market service. 






5,800 00 


7,386 47 


A-oO-H 


County administrators, . 






15,000 00 


24,525 97 


A-oO-I 


County farm bureau. 






30,000 00 


27,479 85 


A-50-J 


College special service. 






24,700 00 


16,730 11 


A-70 


Cost of Food Administration Building on 








Common, ...... 


1,.500 00 


1,495 S3 




Hospital and Emergency Equipment and Other 








Costs. 






A-43-B 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, twenty 








Ford ambulances, .... 


14,000 00 


13,385 62 


A-43-C 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, matroi 








nurse, ...... 


900 00 


900 00 


A-43-D 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, assistant 








matron nurse, ..... 


750 00 


750 00 


A-43-E 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, heating. 


3,600 00 


315 03 


A-43-F 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, fire pro- 








tection, ...... 


500 00 


249 25 


A-43-A 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, two first- 








aid dressing stations, .... 


10,000 00 


10,000 00 



Statement of War Expenses, etc. — Continued. 



Account 
and 

Appropria- 
tion 

Numbers. 




Amounts 

appropriated 

by the 

Governor 
and Council. 


Amounts 
expended. 




Hospital and Emergency Equipment and Other 








Costs — Con. 






A^O-A 


Emergency Hospital, Commonwealth Avenue, 








building, ....... 


S30,000 00 


$25,-598 94 


A-40-B 


Emergency Hospital, Commonwealth Avenue, 








equipment, ...... 


15,000 00 


14,778 94 


A-40-C 


Emergency Hospital, Commonwealth Avenue, 








X-raiy plant, ...... 


2,000 00 


978 44 


A-40-D 


Emergency Hospital, Commonwealth Avenue, 








fittings and extras, ..... 


3.000 00 


2,982 24 


A-45 


For purchase of four hospital units and for medi- 








cal supplies, ...... 


10,000 00 


4,296 28 


A-61 


Commonwealth Emergency Hospital, mainte- 








nance, messing kitchen and ward equipment, . 


14,000 00 


7,706 80 




Activities of Committee 07i Social Evils surround- 








ing Military Camps. 






A-31 


For prevention of social evils surrounding mili- 








tary camps, ...... 


15,000 00 


10,464 53 


A-33-A 


Construction of a convenience station for men 








and women at Ayer, ..... 


10,000 00 


7,324 68 


A-33-B 


Convenience station for men and women at Ayer, 








maintenance and operation of same. 


2,000 00 


791 00 


A-59 


To cover the cost of purchasing a portable house, 
and to cover expenses in connection therewith 
for the use of the special officer or officers of the 
Massachusetts District Police stationed in the 
town of Ayer, and for other use in connection 
with the work in combating social evils arising 
out of the establishing of a camp at Ayer, 








Mass., ....... 


1,400 00 


1,400 00 




Miscellaneous. 






A-6-lo 


Women's enrollment campaign, 


1,500 00 


1,500 00 


A-9-2 


Cataloging physicians in Massachusetts, . 


600 00 


- 


A-9-4 


Industrial survey, ...... 


560 91 


560 91 


A-9-6 


Pennants for automobiles volunteered for service. 


65 00 


65 00 


A-20 


Equipment of Sawmill Units, ' . 


12,000 00 


12,000 00 


A-26' 


For cost of securing adequate supply of coal for 
Massachusetts in connection with the work of 








the New England Coal Committee, 2 . 


5,709 47 


5,709 47 



' The total cost of this enterprise was $131,206.97, the remainder of the cost being met by 
contributions of other New England States and by private contributions. 

2 In connection with this work Maine paid $653.70, Connecticut, $926.07, New Hampshire, 
$35t.09, Rhode Island, $381.32 and Vermont, $550. 



526 



Statement of War Expenses, etc. — Concluded. 



Account 
and 

Appropria- 
tion 

Numbers. 




Amounts 

appropriated 

by the 

Governor 
and Council. 


Amounts 
expended. 




Miscellaneous — Con. 






A-37 


Clerical work, selective draft, office of Director of 








Statistics, Mr. Gettemy, .... 


$626 94 


$626 94 


A^l 


Committee on War Labor Efficiency, 


5,824 84 


5,824 84 


A-68 


10 typewTiting machines, .... 


900 00 


900 00 


A-73 


Work of Women's Division, Council of National 








Defense, ....... 


2,000 00 


1,168 24 


A-74 


Committee on Americanization, 

Influenza Epidemic. 


7,000 00 


1,923 31 


A-71 


Emergency Health Committee expenses (to date 








of this report) ....... 

Totals 


500,000 00 


141,416 29' 




SI, 144,307 14 


$666,527 61 



Correct. 

Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety, 



E. W. LONGLEY, 

Treasurer. 



' Other expenditures, which make the total cost of combating the epidemic of Spanish 
influenza $354,219.20, have been made by the State on vouchers approved by departments other 
than the Committee on Public Safety. 



527 



Report of Public Auditor 

Boston, Mass.. June 25, 1919. 

We hereby certify that tlie books of the Massachusetts Committee on 
Pubhc Safety show payments received from the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts aggregating $234,704.88, which, according to the books 
of the Committee, represent reimbursements of cash paid for pay rolls 
and emergency payments which had been advanced out of the General 
Fund of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. 

We also certify that we have seen the pay rolls for sums advanced to 
Federal employees, amounting to $142,747.44, on which cash amounting 
to $140,524.04 has been credited, leaving a remainder of $2,223.40, which 
mainly represents payments for overtime. The books of record show in 
account No. B-90 that $703.07 of this amount has been paid out of the 
General Fund of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. The 
remaining $1,520.33 has been paid from another source. 

We also certify that we have seen receipted vouchers for amounts 
reported as paid from the High School Boys Fund and the Milk Fund, 
and that the cash on hand in the MUk Fund has been verified. 

We further certify that we have seen receipted vouchers for amounts 
paid out of the General Fund of the Massachusetts Committee on Public 
Safety amounting to $63,858.88, and that the cash on hand appearing 
in the accompanying statement of the Treasurer in three items, namely, 
$32,343.31, $5,562.26 and $490.07, a total of $38,395.64, is represented 
by a deposit at the National Shawmut Bank in Boston, and we have 
verified the amount with that bank. 

HARVEY S. CHASE & COMPANY. 



528 



DISSOLUTION OF THE COMMITTEE 

On November 20, 1918, nine days after the armistice 
was declared, a meeting of the Massachusetts Committee 
on Public Safety was called at the State House, and presided 
over by Governor McCall. His Excellency, after compli- 
menting the Committee's work, said in part: — 

The Commonwealth contributed her share to a fitting victory; the 
victory has been won, and, as this was essentially a war Committee, it has 
been suggested that the time has come for it to terminate its existence. 

Alluding to the appointment at his initiative of Mr. 
Storrow as chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, he 
spoke of the latter's high capacity for organizing just such 
work as the Committee had to do, and his ability to estab- 
lish it upon broad and patriotic lines, and said that the 
result obtained richly vindicated his selection. He also 
gave the greatest commendation to Mr, Endicott, speaking 
of his quick and unerring judgment, his prompt and just 
decisions which commanded the approbation of everybody, 
and, "because of the way in which he has performed his 
duty here, he rightly takes his place among the great patriots 
of Massachusetts." 

Continuing, he said : — 

I am not going to attempt to review the work of this Committee. I 
appointed it in order that it might be an arm of the Executive Depart- 
ment, and it has proven a mighty arm on which I could very confidently 
lean. It has helped to marshal the young men of the Commonwealth, 
operating, of course, with very many men outside, with the members of 
our different advisory boards and draft boards, who gave up their whole 
time; it has helped also to marshal the industries of the State. It has 
settled by the hundred industrial disputes between employers and em- 
ployees, so that the wheels of our factories have been kept turning, and I 
think I can say without boasting that there has been no State that has 
made a nobler or a prompter response to the calls of the President of the 
T'nited States than has the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. . . . 

529 



The history of the part that Massachusetts has played in the Great 
War would be imperfectly written if it did not have very much in it 
about the work of this Commonwealth, and therefore I thank you from 
the bottom of my lieart, both on my own account and for all the citizens 
of the Commonwealth, for what you have done to help keep the Com- 
monwealth, in time of national danger, abreast with its noblest traditions. 

The Governor likewise suggested the advisability of 
selecting a few members of the Committee especially famil- 
iar with its activities to attend to its unfinished business 
and to wind up and liquidate its affairs, and for that pur- 
pose appointed the following to act as a Termination 
Committee: — 

James J. Storrow, Chairman. 



Charles F. Choate, Jr. 
B. Preston Clark. 
Henry B. Endicott. 
Edmund W. Longley. 
George H. Lyman. 



W. Rodman Peabody. 
James J. Phelan. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
John F. Stevens. 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thaver. 



Remarks were also made by different members present, 
Mr. Endicott saying: — 

You were the first Governor in the United States to appoint a Public 
Safety Committee, and it seems particularly fitting that Massachusetts 
should be the first State to take steps towards getting back to peace 
conditions. . . . 

At this time. Your Excellency, I would like, if I may, to refer to the 
women of Massachusetts. From the very start they have been working 
shoulder to shoulder with us, and Massachusetts ma.y well be proud and 
pleased with lier women and with their leader, Mrs. Thayer. 

INIr. Storrow, addressing the meeting, said in part: — 

Once in a while somebody says he thinks we have borne something of 
a burden here, but I do not think any of us for one minute ever looked at 
it in that way. In this great war and great crisis, if the men who have 
been working here had not had a chance to do something for the public 
weal, we certainly would have been miserable. We have escaped that 
misery, I am thankful to say, and I feel, and I know that the rest of us 
feel, great gratitude that we have had the confidence of the Governor 

o30 



and were selected by him. We are perfectly aware that the State has 
many other men who could have done just as well, and perhaps better, 
but the lightning happened to hit us, for which we are very, very grate- 
ful, and have been every day. 

We are the Committee on Public Safety created by the Governor of 
this Commonwealth, but we ought not to adjourn without remembering 
that our work has only been made possible by the fact that in every town 
and city throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts there has also 
been a Committee on Public Safety, not directly appointed by the Gov- 
ernor, but generally through the Committee of One Hundred; there has 
been this organization of the State, which was the thought the Governor 
had in mind when the idea was first formulated. It has not made any dif- 
ference what the problem was, what the task was, what kind of help we 
wanted, those committees have jumped to the front, given us a boost, 
worked with utmost patriotism and met every test. 

When we first began, I think we all felt that our task was to or- 
ganize not legal machinery but voluntary co-operation. That is what 
we stood for. The Governor and Legislature in their discretion gave us 
certain powers. Mr. Endicott as Food Administrator received certain 
Federal powers, and similar powers were given to me as Fuel Adminis- 
trator. But our thought all the time was that our work would not amount 
to anything if it came to a question of compelling this man to do this, or 
that man to do that. That form of procedure has been entirely absent 
from our thought, and I think I may say with accuracy that practically 
no power of any sort or kind has ever been used or needed in dealing with 
the people of Massachusetts in this great emergency. We only had to 
ask this man, that man, or all the men and women in the State, for their 
help, and the response was always instantaneous. 



Mrs. Thayer, when called upon, spoke as follows: — 

Your Excellency, I feel that this is perhaps a rather unfair advantage 
to take of the weaker sex, because I had no idea that I was to have so 
honorable a part in these proceedings. But the only word I have to leave 
behind me is to thank you from my heart, because I think the women of 
Massachusetts, whom I had to represent as well as possible, have been 
given a very extraordinary chance and opportunity. That fact I dis- 
covered in Washington last spring, when it was reported that only two 
States in the Union had come forward and taken the women in on an 
equal footing with the men in their war work; those two States being 
South Carolina and Massachusetts. It gave the women an opportunity 
which, I saw after a few months, was so remarkable that our work would 
have amounted to but little without it. It was not only the present 

531 



backing, but it was the absolute day by day support, advice and help, 
and last, but not least, the financial backing. I think the work as it has 
gone on has proved, as we have stood up and fought this big fight, 
tiiat the civilian army was worth while, and that it should be made 
up of men and women together. 

But I have at this time simply the word of gratitude that the women 
were given the chance in Massachusetts, so that there was this splendid 
co-oiJeration of our organizations and of the women individually. There 
was not one woman who did not want to fall into line, and there is 
not one in the State, I am sure, who does not appreciate the fact that her 
work has been made possible by the Committee on Public Safety here in 
the State House, with the splendid backing and help you have given 
from the very beginning. 

His Excellency then declared the Massachusetts Public 
Safety Committee to be dissolved. 



532 



Thus, after twenty-one months and ten days of patriotic 
.service, the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety 
ceased its activities as a unit of the great home army, 
which, gathered from every State of the Union, had been the 
backbone of our combat army,- — a part fighting on foreign 
soil, a part straining at the leash and eager to cross the seas. 

America entered the lists at a crucial time. She stayed 
to play the game, to do her duty, to do her utmost, to win. 
She poul-ed out her wealth on the altar of her country's flag, 
mobilized her vast industries from sea to sea, and backed 
with all her latent strength the cause for which she fought. 
For us it was a people's war. It was the people's cry which 
finally forced the issue, — that people, American men and 
American women, whose teachings from infancy were 
founded on the right to "Life, liberty and the pursuit of 
happiness." 

We can therefore look back to that far-off time when 
under the thirteen stars our sires won for us a glorious lib- 
erty, and say that it was only right to expect that Massa- 
chusetts should again rally foremost at the front when the 
cause of Freedom, of Humanitv, of Civilization was at stake! 



533 



APPENDICES 



APPENDICES 



Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety 

Executive Committee 



James J. Storrow, Chairman. 

Charles F. Weed, Vice-Chairvian . 

Edmund W. Longley, Treasurer. 

Guy Murchie, Secretary. 

Henry B. Endicott, Executive Man- 
ager. 

E. Bowditch, Jr., Assistant Secre- 
tary. 

John B. Pierce, Assistant Secretary. 

Charles S. Baxter. 

W. A. L. Bazeley. 

B. Preston Clark. 

Walton A. Green. 

Levi H. Greenwood. 



Robert F. Herrick. 
Benjamin Joy. 
George H. Lyman. 
J. Frank O'Hare. 
W. Rodman Peabody. 
Gen. Gardner W. Pearson {e.v offi- 
cio) . 
James J. Phelan. 
A. C. Ratshesky. 
Joseph B. Russell. 
Col. Jesse F. Stevens {ex officio). 
John F. Stevens. 

Gen. E. Leroy Sweetser {ex officio). 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thaver, 



Assistant E.vecvtive Managers 



^Y. A. L. Bazeley. 
B. Preston Clark. 
Wallace B. Donham. 
Levi H. Greenwood. 



A. A. Kidder. 
E. W. Longley. 
James J. Phelan. 
A. C. Ratsheskv. 



Committee on Finance 



Col. William A. Gaston, Chairman. 

Junius Beebe. 

C. S. Bird, Jr. 

Spencer Borden, Jr. 

Charles L. Burrill. 

W. Murray Crane. 

Francis H. Dewe3\ 

Allan Forbes. 

Thomas B. Gannett. 

W. G. Garritt. 

W. E. Gilbert. 



Joseph H. O'Neil. 
Samuel D. Parker. 
J. M. Prendergast. 
Jos. B. Russell. 
A. Shuman. 
Philip Stockton. 

E. V. R. Thayer. 
Geo. R. Wallace. 

F. G. Webster, 
John E. White. 
Daniel G. Wing. 



537 



Committee ox Co-ordination of Aid Societies 
John F. Moors. 



B. Preston Clark, Chairman 
Henry Abraliams. 
Henry V. Cunningham. 
Hon. Grafton D. Cusliing. 
David A. Ellis. 



John L. Saltonstall. 
Alexander Whiteside. 
Capt. Porter B. Chase, Military 
Representative. 



Committee on Industrial Survey 



Charles G. Bancroft, Chairman. 

Howard L. Rogers, V ice-Chairman. 

Charles F. Gettemy, Secretary. 

Chas. L. Allen. 

Edwin P. Brown. 

Leonard B. Buchanan. 

Charles Chase. 

Howard Coonley. 

H. C. Dodge. 

C. L. Edgar. 

Adolpli Ehrlich. 



Walter C. Fish. 
Edwin ¥. Gay. 
Edwin Farnham Greene. 
John S. Kent. 
Chas. T. Main. 
F. H. Payne. 
Harry G. Stoddard. 
John F. Tobin. 
F. E. Wing. 

Capt. Robt. M. Magee, Military 
Representative. 



Committee on Transportation 



James H. Hustis, Chairman. 

H. M. Biscoe. 

Mat. C. Brush. 

C. D. Emmons. 

Chas. P. Hall. 

Walter L. McMenimen. 



E. J. Pearson. 
P. F. Sullivan. 
C. V. Wood. 
C. Q. Richmond. 

Maj. Henry B. Knowles, Military 
Representative. 



Committee on Hygiene, 

Dr. Richard P. Strong, Chairman. 

Dr. Allan J. McLaughlin, Chairman 
(later). 

Dr. Arthur A. Brown, Vice-Chair- 
man. 

Dr. Merrill E. Champion, Vice- 
Chairman. 

Dr. Francis A. Finnegan, Vice- 
Chairman. 

Dr. John S. Hitchcock, Vice-Chair- 
man. 

Dr. Adam S. MacKnight, Vice- 
Chair man. 



W. Walcott, Vice- 



Medicine and Sanitation 

Dr. Clias. E. Simpson, Vice-Chair- 

man. 
Dr. Howard A. Streeter, Vice- 

Chairman. 
Dr. William 

Chairman. 
Dr. John Bapst Blake. 
Dr. John T. Bottomley 
Dr. Walter P. Bowers. 
Dr. Harvey Cusliing. 
Dr. David L. Edsall. 
Dr. Henry Ehrlich. 
Dr. C. W. Elliott. 



538 



Dr. Homer Gage. 

Dr. Reid Hunt. 

Dr. George M. Klein. 

Louis K. Liggett. 

Dr. Francis X. Mahoney 

Edwin Mulready. 

Dr. Milton J. Rosenau. 



Committee on Hygiene, etc. — Continued 

Prof. Wm. T. Sedgwick. 
Dr. Ralph Seelye. 
Dr. Paul Thorndike. 
Prof. George C. Whipple. 
Dr. Frank P. Williams. 
Dr. Frank A. Woods. 
Dr. Samuel B. Woodward. 



Committee on Federal and State Legislation 



W. Rodman Peabody, Chamnan. 
Edmund K. Arnold. 
Charles L. Barlow. 
Malcolm Donald. 
J, Wells Farley. 



Donald Gordon. 
Prof. Arthur D. Hill. 
John G. Palfrey. 
Robert L. Raymond. 
James P. Richardson. 



Committee on Food Production and Conservation 



K. L. Butterfield, Chairman. 
John D. Willard, Secretary. 
Austin D. Kilham, Secretary (later). 
Philip Allen. 
H. F. Arnold. 
Reginald W. Bird. 
Nathaniel I. Bowditch. 
Joshua L. Brooks. 
Warren C. Jewett. 



M. Ernest Moore. 
Evan F. Richardson. 
CD. Richardson. 
Henry Sterling. 
Glenn C. Sevey. 
Leslie R. Smith. 
Pay son Smith. 
Marcus L. Urann. 
Wilfrid Wheeler. 



Committee on Publicity 



Louis E. Kirstein, Chairman. 
Louis A. Coolidge. 
Thomas J. Feeney. 
John F. O'Connell. 
William S. O'Connor. 



Maj. Harry G. Chase, Military 

Representative. 
Chaplain Lyman Rollins, Military 

Representative. 



Committee on Land Forces 



Gen. Charles H. Cole, Chairman. 
J. Franklin McElwain, Chairman 

(later). 
Gen. Butler Ames. 



Hon. W. Cameron Forbes. 
W. B. Donham. 
J. Lovell Johnson. 
W. B. Stearns. 



539 



Committee on State Protection 



Edwin U. Curtis, Chairman. 

Gen. Butler Ames. 

Chas. W. Bosworth. 

John S. Caldwell. 

John W. Cummings. 

A. B. Daniels. 

H. I. Harriman. 



James Logan. 

Dana Malone. 

Samuel D. Parker. 

Maj. Hoi tern B. Perkins, Militarij 

Representative. 
Lieut. Edwin M. Brush, Militarij 

Representative. 



Committee ox Naval Forces 



Rob't W. Emmons, 2d, Chairman. 
Brooks Frothingliam, Vice-Chair- 

man. 
Ernest G. Adams. 
N. F. Aver. 
John G. Crowley. 
Charles K. Cummings. 
Arthur B. Denny. 
G. R. Fearing, Jr. 



Robert F. Herrick. 
Charles Hamilton Parker. 
James Otis Porter. 
Jolin H. Proctor. 
Richard S. Russell. 
William H. Seabury. 
Clifford L. Webster. 
Com. James P. Parker, Militarij 
Representative. 



Committee on Military Equipment and Supplies 



Elwyn G. Preston, Chairman. 

Thomas P. Beal, Jr. 

Jacob F. Brown. 

John Calder. 

Albert Greene Duncan. 

Edward J. Frost. 



Chas. H. Jones. 
Louis K. Liggett. 
Jesse P. Lyman. 
Michael V. Martin. 
John Moir. 
James L. Richards. 



Committee on Emergency Help and Equipment 



Charles R. Gow, Chairman. 

Harold L. Bond. 

E. J. Cross. 

H. P. Cummings. 

Geo. H. Dresser. 

Chas. E. Godfrey. 

Arthur M. Huddell. 

Leo Ley. 

Hugh Nawn. 



Capt. M. D. Nickerson. 
Michael S. O'Riorden. 
John A. Peabody. 
J. J. Prindeville. 
James W. Rollins. 
Jeremiah A. Sullivan. 
Antonio G. Tomasello. 
Morton G. Tuttle. 
George H. Wrenn. 



540 



Committee on Mobilization and Concentration Camps 



Gen. Wm. A. Pew, Chairman. 
Wm. A. L. Bazeley, Acting Chairman. 
Dwight E. Brigham. 
X. H. Goodenough. 
Joseph R. Hebblewaite. 
E. E. Lockridge. 
L. deB. Lovett. 
Frank H. McCarthy. 



Dr. Allan J. McLaughlin. 

C. F. Gourley. 

Col. Wm. B. Emery, Military Rep- 
resentative. 

Maj. Christopher Harrison, Mil- 
itary Representative. 

Maj. Henry B. Knowles, Military 
Representative. 



Committee on Horses 



T. G. Frothingham, Chairman. 
Arnold Lawson. 
Dr. Arthur W. May. 



Harry P. Nawn, Sr. 
John T. Wheelwright. 



Committee on Trucks and Motor Cars 



Chester I. Campbell, Chairman. 
Roy D. Jones, Chairman (later). 
Carl T. Keller, Chairman (later). 
Francis Hurtubis, Jr., Vice-Chair- 

man. 
William T. McCracken, Secretary. 
Harry D. Carter. 



F. P. Daly. 

Allan Forbes. 
Arthur M. Huddell. 
Capt. Josiah S. Hathaway 
Fred C. Munroe. 
Richard B. Stanley. 



Committee on Recrijiting 

Executive Committee 



P. A. O'Connell, Chairman. 

John L. Bates, Vice-Chairman. 

W. L. Glidden, Vice-Chairman. 

Michael J. Murray, Vice-Chairman . 

Edw. J. Sampson, Secretary. 

George E. Adams. 

Capt. C. Lawrence Barry. 

Charles S. Baxter. 

Col. Stanhope E. Blunt. 

Chandler Bullock. 

Abraham K. Cohen. 

Marcus A. Coolidge. 

Dr. John W. Coughlin. 

R. Osborne Dal ton. 

R. C. Davis. 

Col. Jenness K. Dexter. 



Note. — Executive Committee as originally formed 
bers appointed throughout State from time to time. 



William H. Feiker. 
John W. Haigis. 
Eugene C. Hultman. 
Herbert E. Jennison. 
George N. Jeppson. 
Eben S. S. Keith. 
John P. Meade. 
Joseph Monette. 
James R. Nicholson. 
John Nicholson. 
C. A. Pastene. 
James F. Phelan, 
George S. Smith. 
Harry W. Smith. 
Perry D. Thompson. 
Charles A. Williamson. 

Additional mem- 



541 



Committee ox Home Guards 



Gen. John J. Sullivan, Chairman. 
Samuel D. Parker, Vice-Chair man. 
Capt. S. W. Sleeper, Vice -Chair man. 
Ernest G. Adams. 
Robert T. Allen. 
John T. Burnett. 



Fred Knight. 
Frederick Parks. 
Herbert Parker. 
Robert E. Stone. 
Capt. Porter B. 
Representative. 



Chase, Military 



Chairmen of Public Safety Committees in Cities and 
Towns in Massachusetts 



Abington, 

Acton, 

Acushnet, 

Adams, 

Alford, . 

Agawam, . 

Amesbury, 

Amherst, . 

Andover, . 
Arlington. 
Ashburnham, 
Ashby, 
Ashfield, . 
Ashland, . 

Athol, 

Attleboro, 
Ayer, 

Barnstable, 
Barre, 
Bedford, . 
Belcher town, 
BelHngham and N 
Belmont, . 
Berkley, 
Beverly, 

Billerica, 
Bolton, 

Boston, 



•th 



Bellingham 



Dr. F. G. Wheatley. 

Allen B. Parker. 

Emery E. Cushman. 

Dr. A. K. Boom. 

John M. Dellea. 

James W. Moore. 

Col. E. W. N. Bailey. 

E. M. Whitcomb. 

S. Paul Jefferson (later) 

Hon. John N. Cole. 

Horatio A. Phinney. 

C. A. Hubbell. 

Rev. E. S. Treworgy. 

Charles A. Hall. 

George G. Tidsbury. 
/ F. A. Ball. 
\W. W.Woodward (later). 

George H. Sykes. 

George H. Brown. 

Raymond A. Hopkins. 

John S. Rice. 

George H. Blinn. 

T. D. Walker. 

M. J. Kennedy. 

Torrance Parker. 

Joseph Howland. 

James W. McPherson. 

Prescott L. Pasho. 

Thomas F. Sheridan (later). 

Harry W. Butts. 

Admiral Francis T. Bowles. 

Major Patrick F. O'Keefe (later) 

Victor A. Heath (later). 



542 



Bourne Eben S. S. Keith. 

Boxford, Edward E. Pearl. 

Boylston, Peter Stewart. 

Braintree, Benjamin H. Woodsum. 

Brewster, Dr. L. A. Crocker. 

Bridgewater, Robert W. McLean. 

Brimfield, Orrin Hicks. 

J John S. Kent. 

Brockton IWilHam L. Gleason (later). 

Brookfield, A. F. Butterworth. 

Brookline, Philip S. Parker. 

Burlington, Horace B. Skelton. 

/ Walter C Wardell. 
Cambridge, | J. Frank Facey (later). 

Canton . H. Ware Barnum. 

Carver, Ellis G. Cornish. 

Charlemont, Charles E. Graves. 

Charlton, . . . . . . E. A. Lamb. 

Chatham, Heman A. Harding. 

Chelmsford, . . . . • . . Walter Perham. 

/ Joseph M. Riley. 

^^^^^^^' \ Edward E. Willard (later). 

Cheshire, George A. Reynolds. 

Chester, Charles T. Purse. 

Chesterfield, Charles M. Drake. 

f Hon. D. J. Coakley. 

. ' [ N. P. Ames Carter (later). 

Chilmark, Henry H. Allen. 

Clinton, Edward G. Osgood. 

Cohasset, Harry E. Mapes. 

Colrain, Rev. Harvey M. Eastman. 

Concord, Murray Ballou. 

Conway, Edward Affahauser. 

Cummington, Milton S. Howes. 

Dalton, Thomas H. Mooney. 

Anthony Mason. 



' ' Moses Nolette (later). 

Danvers, Walter T. Creese. 

Dartmouth and North Dartmouth, . Elmer M. Poole. 

Dedliam and Westwood, . . . George E. Hall. 

Deerfield, Philip Ball. 

Dennis, James H. Jenks, Jr . 

543 



Digliton, .... 


George B. Glidden. 


Dover, .... 


Augustin H. Parker. 


Dracut, .... 


George H. Stevens. 


Diulley, .... 


. Edgar Hill. 


Duxbury, 


. Alfred E. Green. 


East Bridgewator, . 


. Ezra S. Whitniarsli. 


Eastham, 


. Nathan P. CMark. 


Easthampton, 


. John H. Cullen. 


Easton, .... 


. John S. Ames. 


Edgartown, 


. B. T. Hillman. 


Egremont, 


George Peck. 


Enfield, .... 


. Dr. W. B. Segur. 


|v,cc*»v 


f Albion Riggs. 


XJOOCAy • . . . 


■ ■ \ Charles Bruce (later). 


Fairhaven, 


W. Fred Delano. 


Fall River, 


. Robert C. Davis. 


Falmouth, 


George W. Jones. 


Fitchburg, 


. George R. Wallace. 


Florida, .... 


. Fred R. ^Yhitcomb. 


Foxborougli, . 


Orlando C. McKenzie. 


Framingham, . 


. Theo. F. Rice. 


Franklin, 


. . H. W. Hosie. 


Freetown, 


Harris E. Chace. 


Gardner, . . . 


. Fred L. Butler. 


Gay Head, 


L. L. Vanderhoop. 


Georgetown, . 


William Bray. 


GiU, 


Charles 0. Bruce. 


Gloucester, 


. T. J. Carroll. 


Goshen, .... 


. George L. Barrus. 


Grafton, .... 


. Francis Prescott. 


Granby, .... 


George F. Eastman. 


Great Barrington, . 


. Harry Douglas. 


Greenfield, 


Joseph W. Stevens. 


Greenwich, 


George B. Loux. 


Groton, .... 


f Walter S. Hinchman. 


• \ Frank L. Blood (later) 


Groveland, 


George Mitchell. 


Hadley, .... 


Frank H. Smith. 


Halifax, .... 


. William B. Wood. 



544 



Hamilton, South Hamilton and Wen- 
ham, E. R. Anderson. 

J John Q. Adams. 

^^^P^^^ j Rev. R. B. Lisle>ter). 

Hancock, D. L. Whitman. 

Hanover, C. J. Ellis. 

Hanson and South Hanson, . . . F. W. Howland. 
Hardwick, . . R. D. Lull. 

f Henry H. Putnam. 

^^''^^^^' \ Lyman M. Morse (later). 

Harwich, Thomas H. Nickerson. 

Haverhill, Hon. Leslie K. Morse. 

Hawley, H. C. Dodge. 

Hingham, William L. Foster. 

rr. . . . Dr. W. L. Tucker. 

Hmsdale, 



G. T. Plunkett (later). 

Holbrook, . . . . . . A. T. Southworth. 

Holden, Jefferson W. Coe. 

Holliston, W. P. Kingsbury. 

Holyoke, John J. Wliite. 

Hopkinton, Edward Carr. 

Hudson, E. W. Dunbar. 

Hull, Dr. W. H. Sturgis. 

Hyannis, C. W. Megathlin. 

Ipswich, Frank W. Keyes. 

Kingston, Walter H. Faunce. 

Lancaster, John E. Thayer. 

Lawrence, John J. Hurley. 

Lee, Wellington Smith. 

Leicester, F. Lincoln Powers. 

Lenox, George W. Ferguson. 

Leominster, Frank S. Farnsworth. 

Lexington, Alfred Pierce. 

Littleton, F. B. Priest. 

Longmeadow, William K. Davis. 

f James E. O'Donnell. 

' I Perry D. Thompson (later). 

Ludlow, . . . . • . . . M. T. Kane. 

Lunenberg, Edwin C. Smith. 

Lynn, Ralph W. Reeve. 

Lynnfield, William Walden. 

545 



Maiden, . 

Manchester, 

Mansfield, 

Marblehead, 

Marion, . 

Marlborough, 

Marshfield, 

Mashpee, 

Mattapoisett, 

Maynard, 

Medfield, . 

Medford, . 
Medway, . 
Melrose, . 
Merrimac, 

Methuen, 

Middleborougli, 

Middleton, 

Milford, . 

Millbury, 

MiUis, . 

Milton, . 

Monson, . 

Montague, 

Monterey, 

Mount Washington 

Nahant, . 
Nantucket, 
Natick, 

Needham, 

New Bedford, . 
New Braintree, 
New Marlborougli 
Newburyport, 
Newton, . 
Norfolk, . 
North Adams, 



Charles M. Blodgett. 

Rev. A. G. Warner. 

Raj'mond C. Allen (later). 

Daniel C. Richardson. 

Greeley C. Allen. 

Herbert C. Hiunphrey (later). 

George B. Crapo. 

Charles W. Curtis. 

William L. Sprague. 

Edmund B. Amos. 

L. W. Jenney. 

Arthur J. Coughlin. 

Horace F. Bates (later). 

William G. Perry. 

Granville C. Mitchell (later). 

Irwin O. Weight. 

W. W. Ollendorf. 

John C. F. Slayton. 

James W. Bailey. 

W. L. Stedman. 

Samuel Rush ton (later). 

Bourne Wood. 

Maurice E. Tyler. 

John C. Lynch. 

Fred W. Moore. 

R. W. Mann. 

James S. Russell. 

F. K. Gamble. 

A. J. Nims. 

George L. Keyes. 

A. I. Spurr. 

H. C. Wilson. 
Stillman C. Cash. 
George C. Fairbanks. 
Judge Emery Grover. 
James M. McCracken (later). 
Thomas S. Hathaway. 
W. E. Loftus. 
Dr. R. C. Sellow. 
Fred E. Smith. 
William F. Garcelon. 
William M. Gallagher. 
E. D. "Wliitaker. 



546 



North Andover, 



North Attleborough, 

North Brookfield, 
North Reading, 
Northampton, 
Northborough, 
Northbridge, 
Northfiekl, 
Norton, . 
Norwell, . 
Norwood, . 
Oak Bhiffs, 
Oakham, . 
Orange, 
Orleans, . 
Osterville, 
Oxford, 

Palmer, 

Paxton, 

Peabody, . 

Pembroke, 

Pepperell, 

Petersham, 

Phillipston, 

Pittsfield, 

Plainville, 

Plymouth, 
Plympton, 
Preseott, . 
Princeton, 
Provincetown, 



Samuel D. Stevens. 

Charles D. Paye. 

Dr. Joseph B. Gerould (later). 

E. D. Corbin. 

Herbert D. Wilson. 

John J. Kennedy (Secretary). 

Dr. J. L. Coffin."^ 

J. M. Lassell. 

Dr. N. P. Wood. 

George C. Haskell. 

Frank W. Jones. 

Herbert M. Plimpton. 

Fred W. Smith. 

John P. Day. 

Hon. E. S. Hall. 

Edgar H. Upham. 

G. W. Hallett. 

Charles N. Turner. 

Harold W. Brainerd. 
Henry H. Pike. 
Louis P. P. Osborne. 
Edgar C. Thayer. 
Charles H. Miller. 
W. S. McNutt. 
James H. Hatchings. 
Arthur W. Eaton. 
Rufus King. 
Millard S. Rines (later). 
Arthur Lord. 
Fred W. Dennett. 
W. M. Waugh. 
Fred W. Bryant. 
W. H. Young. 



_ . j Joseph L. Whiton. 

^'''''''y' \ H. L. Kincaide (later). 

Randolph, Joseph Belcher. 

-p , j Sinare Beaulieu. 

^^ ^™' \ Fred Rogers (later). 

Reading, Captain Frank Gray. 

Rehoboth, Ellery L. GoflF . 

Revere, Alfred S. Hall. 



547 



Richmond, . . . . . . William H. Sherrill. 

Rochester, L. C. Humphrey. 

Rockland, Elvin T. Wright. 

Rockport, Frederick H. Tarr. 

Rowe, Henry D. Wright. 

Rowley, Joseph N. Dummer. 

Royalston, Charles H. Brown. 

Russell (Woronoco), . . . E. D. Parks. 

Rutland, Walter A. Wheeler. 

Salem, Arthur H. Phippen. 

Salisbury, John Q. Evans. 

Sandisfield, Thomas Fox. 

Sandwich, Charles E. Brady. 

Saugus, William O. Bursch. 

Savoy, William E. Cain. 

Scituate, Walter Haynes. 

Seekonk, George F. Carpenter. 

Sharon, Robert G. Morse. 

SheflBeld, Rev. Stanley Cummings. 

o, ,. J J. W. Thurber. 

bhelburne, < ^ ^ _.^ ,, . 

[ C L. Upton (later). 

Sherborn, ( Henry MChanning. 

[ Arron C Dowse (later), 
q, , I W. H. Chamberlain. 

■^ ' \ Henry H. Ham (later). 

Somerset, Adam W. Gifford. 

Somerville, Hon. Charles V. Blanchard. 

South Hadley, Fred M. Smith. 

Southbridge, John E. Paige. 

Southborough, R. H. Overson, Jr. 

Southwick, H. L. Miller. 

Spencer, N. C. Bryant. 

Sterling, John P. Mitchell. 

Stockbridge, William Lynch. 

Stoneham, . . . . . . George R. Barnstead. 

q , j Ira F. Burnliam. 

' [ William Curtis (later). 

Stow, Charles A. Hearsey. 

Sturbridge, William H. Hinman, Jr. 

I Courtenay Crocker. 
Sudbury, | Charles H. W. Way (later). 

[w. H. Fairbanks (later). 
Sutton, S. Martin Shaw. 

548 



Swampscott, Henry S. Baldwin. 

Swansea, A. W. Weaver. 

Taunton, William J. Flood. 

Templeton, Harvey O. Winch. 

Tewksbury, Irving F. French. 

Tisbury, William J. Look. 

Tolland, ....... J. R. Rogers. 

Topsfield, James D. Phillips. 

Townsend, F. B. Higgins. 

, Thomas H. Peters. 
Iruro, 



Manuel Corey (later). 
Tyringham, Charles H. Hale. 



Upton, I. Plummer Taft. 

(Harry B. Stearns. 
Uxbridge, . . " . . . . -j D. H. Reese (later). 

Charles A. Root (later). 



Wakefield, Charles E. Walton. 

Wales, Harry B. Weaver. 

j Louis R. Vose. 

^^^P^^^' \ Waldo R. Pratt (later). 

Waltham, John M. Gibbs. 

Ware, Henry C. Davis. 

Wareham, Lewis H. Bullard. 

Warren, E. D. Sullivan. 

Warwick, O. W. Cole. 

Watertown, William P. McGuire (Executive 

Manager). 

Webster, George J. Brunnell. 

Wellesley, . . . . . John W. Edmunds. 

Wellfleet, Dr. Clarence J. Bell. 

Wenham, D. R. Anderson. 

West Boylston, Charles E. Burbank, 

West Bridgewater, .... Charles P. Kendall. 

West Brookfield, D wight Fairbanks. 

West Hanover, C. J. Ellis. 

West Medway, W. W. OUendorf. 

West Newbury, Robert L. Brown. 

West Springfield, Walter S. Barr. 

West Tisbury, Ulysses E. Maykew. 

549 



Wes thorough, 

Westford, 

"Westlianipton, 

Westminster, 

Weston, . 

Westport, 

Weymouth, 

^\Tiately, . 

"\Miitman, 

Wilbraham, 

WiUiamsburg, 

Wilhamstown, 

Wilmington, 

Winchendon, 

Winchester, 

Winthrop, 

Woburn, . 

Worcester, 

Worthington, 

Wrentham, 



John W. Slattery. 
Oscar R. Spaulding. 
Francis A. Loud. 
Hobart Raymond. 
Dr. Fresnius Van Nuys. 
Rev. H. H. Crawford. 
Arthur C. Heald. 
Montville L. Crafts. 
James P. Kirby. 
F. A. Warren. 
Wilbur M. Purrington. 
S. P. Blagden. 
Charles C. Alden. 
William M. Wliitney. 
Lewis Parkhurst. 
Elmer E. Dawson. 
Leonard B. Buchanan. 
Dr. Ira N. Mollis. 
H. S. Cole. 
George L. Dodd. 



Yarmouth, Thatcher T. Hallett. 



New England Sawmill Units 

Statement of Receipts akd Expenditures in Connection with 
Equipping and Despatching over 350 Men, 122 Horses and 
10 Portable Saa\tmills from New Engl.\nd to Old England, 
June 15, 1917 



Receipts 
Commonwealth of Connecticut, 
Commonwealth of Maine, 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
Commonwealth of New Hampshire, 
Commonwealth of Rhode Island, 
Commonwealth of Vermont, 
Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety (from its funds 

raised by public subscriptions), 

Seventy-seven firms, corporations and individuals. 
Interest on bank deposit, 



$12,000 00 
12,000 00 
12,000 00 
12,000 00 
6,200 00 
12,000 00 

12,017 47 

52,975 00 

14 50 

$131,206 97 



550 



Expenditures 
Portable mills and equipment, 
Horses and equipment, .... 
Logging camp equipment, .... 
Clothing, shoes, etc., for millmen and woodsn 

Packing and storage, 

Passport expenses, 

Transportation, 

Express, freight and trucking, . 
Miscellaneous, 



en, 



$45,684 60 

43,494 74 

25,245 57 

6,768 68 

1,932 56 

621 60 

1,732 00 

2,011 38 

3,715 84 



List of 
10 portable sawmills. 

2 sawmills. 
Spare parts. 

1 power plant. 
10 sides lace leather. 
200 sheets galvanized. 
Belting and lacing. 

1 model T runabout. 

3 blowers and 1 fan. 

Steam boiler, steam engine, tools 

and equipment. 
43 saws, points, tools, etc. 
5 2-horsepower engines and parts. 
Engine, boiler and spare parts. 
Oil and grease. 
1,404 shanks. 
Packing cement, etc. 
Belting. 
Boxes. 

Boiler and engine. 
Pipe, tools, etc. 
Blocks, jacks, tools, etc. 

2 coils 3-inch Manila rope. 
Nails, wire netting, tools, etc. 
Smokestack, grates, etc. 
Horse housings, poles, tents, etc. 
122 horses. 

Harnesses, etc. 

20 dozen halter ropes. 

2 sets express harness. 

Collars, blankets, harnesses, etc. 

Currycombs, measures, lanterns, etc. 



$131,206 97 
Equipment 

10 units of horse medicine. 

Tents, blankets, spreads, flags, etc. 

10 first-aid cabinets, etc. 

Tools. 

Axes and cant dogs. 

150 bars. 

36 farm handy trucks. 

Chains, yokes, trees and hooks. 

Extinguishers, pumps, etc. 

50 stoves, cooking utensils, etc. 

Gears, boxes, seats and brakes. 

4 log trucks, rebuilt and ironed. 
200 saws, files, etc. 
32 swages. 

5 houses, special truck. 
200 fire-extinguisher charges. 
Remodeled lumber wagon. 
180 mats, 45 bales. 
Horseshoes, chains, tools, neck 

yokes, tool chests, etc. 

360 pairs men's shoes and lacings. 

90 dozen shirts, 22 1 dozen sweaters, 
drawers. 

60 dozen socks, hats, handker- 
chiefs. 

15 dozen oil coats, etc. 

28 1 dozen duck pants. 

13| dozen oil coats, and other cloth- 
ing and miscellany. 

Twine. 

Flag bows. 

Stationery. 



551 



Recreational Equipment and Library Privilege 

Recreation Equipment located in the Farm Camps for High School 

Boys 
September 1, 1917 

Phonographs, 16 

Records (20 in a box), 17 

Phonograph needles, 7,500 

Checker games, 48 

Chess games, 21 

Checker boards, 67 

Dommoes, 25 

Quoits, 21 

Playground bats, 22 

Plaj'ground balls, 19 

Flags (5x7), 10 

Baseball bats, 22 

Baseballs, 44 

Baseball gloves, 22 

Basket balls, 1 

Additional games, 3 

Pathescope, $175 00 

Screens, $12 50 

Exchange service on reels, $50 00 

September 1, 1918 

Baseballs, 160 

Baseball bats, 85 

Catchers' gloves, masks and protectors, 38 

Volley ball and net, 1 

Footballs, 3 

Tennis balls, 6 

Phonographs, 19 

Records, 749 

Phonograph needles, 5,200 

Checker sets, 61 

Checker boards, 58 

Sets of dominoes, 62 

American flags, 18 

Envelopes, 16,500 

Sheets of writing paper, . ' 32,500 

Moving-picture machines and accessories, 5 

Batteries, 2 

Feet of film, 360,000 

Note. — The first fourteen items were supplied by the National 
War Work Council; the last four, by the State Executive Committee, 
Y. M. C. A. 

552 



Camp Activities 

Ball games, 119 

Athletic contests, 33 

Number of camp social events, 56 

Boys participating in community social events, .... 638 

Number of addresses, 73 

Number of visits to Y. M. C. A. buildings and swimming pools, . 1,145 

Number of moving-picture shows, 161 

Number of farmers, helpers and neighbors attending camp 

movies, 3,500 

Number of visits by supervisors to boys on individual farms, . 389 

Number of visits by welfare director to camps, .... 210 

Number of visits by welfare director to farmers, ... 52 

Mileage covered by auto, 9,923 

Mileage covered by rail, 2,635 

Fourth of July celebration and parade, 1 

Memorial Day celebration and parade, 1 

Camp minstrel shows, • 3 

Attended minstrel shows, 900 

Library Privileges extended to Camps for Mobilizing 
School Boys for Farm Service 

The Free Public Library Commission of the State has furnished 
nine loan libraries in units of 30 books for camps which could not 
be supplied locally. The camps have been provided with library 
privileges in the following manner: — 

Bolton, Camp Me-L-Ev: Boys borrow books on cards from Public 
Library, Bolton. 

Concord, Camp Thomas: Library of 30 books. Free Public Library 
Commission. 

Egj-pt, Camp Lawson: Boys have use of library on estate. 

Essex, Camp Storrow: Library of 30 books, Free Public Library Com- 
mission. 

Groton, Camp Groton: Boys borrow books on cards from Public Librarj', 
Groton. 

Ipswich, Turner Hill Camp: Library supplied by Public Library, Ipswich. 

Lenox, Camp Crane: Library supplied by Public Library, Lenox. 

Marblehead, Camp Davis: Two libraries of 30 books. Free Public 
Library Commission. 

Plymouth, Camp Chilton: Doubtful. 

South Acton, Camp "Huntington: Library of 30 books. Free Public 
Library Commission. 

Stockbridge, Camp Riggs: Library supplied by Public Library, Lenox. 

553 



Topsfield, Camp Topsfield: Library of 30 books. Free Public Library 

Commission. 
Walpole, N. H., Camp Newton: Library supplied by Newton Public 

Library. 



Massachusetts Halifax Health Commission 

Ax Act to incorporate the Massachusetts Halifax Health 

COMMISSIOX 

Whereas, The explosion in Halifax Harbor on the sixth day of 
December, 1917, not only caused heavy loss of life and personal 
injury, but also produced conditions which seriously menaced 
the general public health of the city of Halifax and the to\\Ti of 
Dartmouth; and 

Whereas, The people of the State of Massachusetts have gen- 
erously contributed in services, money and materials to the relief 
and rehabilitation of Halifax and Dartmouth, and in addition to 
the gifts already made have expressed through their agents, the 
Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee, a desire to give further 
assistance in the restoration and improvement of the sanitary con- 
ditions of Halifax and Dartmouth and other districts affected by 
the explosion, and the health of the inhabitants; and 

Whereas, As a result of careful investigation and expert advice 
it has been determined by the said Massachusetts Halifax Relief 
Committee to carry out a definite program for the said purposes 
in co-operation with the Halifax Relief Commission, the Province 
of Nova Scotia and the city of Halifax, which shall involve the 
expenditure of large sums of money, and it is considered advisable 
to incorporate a Commission with proper power and authority 
for said purposes to work in conjimction with the provincial de- 
partment of health, the boards of health of the city of Halifax and 
the town of Dartmouth, the Halifax Relief Commission and other 
constituted authorities; and 

Whereas, The proposed program and contributions have been 
heartily appreciated and endorsed by various public bodies rep- 
resenting the people of Halifax and Dartmouth; 
Be it enacted by the Governor, Council and Assembly as folloics: — 

1. In this act, unless the context otherwise requires: — 

(a) The term "Commission" means the Massachusetts Hali- 
fax Health Commission. 



554 



(b) The word "person" shall include persons, firms or private, 
public or municipal corporations. 

2. There shall be constituted the Massachusetts Halifax Health 
Commission, composed of the provincial health ofiicer for the 
time being; the chairman of the board of health of the city of 
Hahfax for the time being; the medical health ofiicer of the town 
of Dartmouth for the time being; two members appointed by the 
Halifax Relief Commission; and four members appointed by the 
Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee, each for a term of two 
years. Such Commission shall be a body corporate under the name 
of the Massachusetts Halifax Health Commission, and by that 
name shall have perpetual succession and a common seal. 

3. The Provincial Health Officer for the time being, the chair- 
man of the board of health of the city of Halifax for the time 
being, and the medical health officer of the town of Dartmouth for 
the time being, shall be members of the Commission by virtue of 
their respective offices. 

If a vacancy occurs in the Commission by the death, resigna- 
tion or removal of any of the other members of the Commission, 
the successor of such member shall be appointed by the body which 
appointed him. 

4. The Commission shall elect a chairman from among its 
members and also a vice-chairman, who, in the absence of the 
chairman, shall exercise all the functions of the chairman. 

5. The Commission may appoint a secretary who shall under- 
take the correspondence of the Commission and keep its records, 
minutes, orders and accounts. He shall hold office during the 
pleasure of the Commission, and the Commission may prescribe 
the duties and powers of such secretary. 

6. Any four members of the Commissicn shall constitute a 
cpiorum for the transaction of any business or for the exercise of 
all or any of the powers exercisable by the Commission. 

7. The objects and powers of the Commission shall be the re- 
habilitation of the city of Halifax and the town of Dartmouth 
from the effects of said explosion of December 6, 1917, and to 
this end it shall have power — 

(a) To undertake and carry into effect whatever in its opinion 
may make for the restoration and improvement of the sanitary 
conditions of the city of Halifax and the town of Dartmouth, and 
the health of the inhabitants of said city and town. 

555 



(b) To collaborate with and assist the constituted authorities in 
the said city and toA\Ta, including the city board of health, the 
Hahfax Relief Commission or any other public body who may 
exercise any powers of jurisdiction with respect to the purpose of 
the Commission. 

(c) To receive, hold and invest from time to time all moneys 
and property paid, voted or contributed by any person or govern- 
ment to the Commission for the purposes of the Commission. 

(d) To expend, distribute and appropriate all such moneys and 
property in such manner as the Commission shall in its discretion 
deem proper: provided, hoivever, that in case any money or prop- 
erty has been contributed or voted for any particular purpose or 
purposes, the Commisson shall expend, distribute or appropriate 
the same in accordance with the expressed intention of the donor. 

(e) To aid any institution, association or public body which 
undertakes or has heretofore undertaken any work which in the 
opinion of the Commission conduces to the improvement or the 
restoration of the health of the inhabitants of the city of Halifax 
and the town of Dartmouth, or for any other purposes of the 
Commission. 

(J) To collect, publish and distribute information to promote 
good health and improved sanitation. 

(g) To appoint and hire such officials, servants, agents and 
workmen as the Commission may think proper for the purpose of 
the proper exercise of the powers exercisable by the Commission, 
and in particular the Commission may employ experts in municipal 
sanitation and public hj^giene, or otherwise. 

(h) To enter into agreements and contracts for the purpose of 
carrying out the powers exercisable by the Commission. 

(i) To acquire, hold and dispose of real and personal property 
of every kind and description, and to deal with the same in any 
way the Commission may think fit. 

(j) To effect from time to time temporary loans with any char- 
tered bank, if for any reason funds to be supplied to the Commis- 
sion are not presently available. 

(k) To make reports and recommendations to the city board of 
health, the city council or board of control of the city of Halifax, 
the town council of the town of Dartmouth, and the Halifax Relief 
Commission on any matter which in the opinion of the Commission 
may conduce to the improvement of public health. 

556 



(/) To do all such other things as are mcidental or conducive 
to the attainment of the above objects and powers, or any of 
them. 

8. For the purpose of more effectually carrying out the above 
objects and powers, or any of them, the Commission may make 
all such by-laws, and from time to time alter, amend or repeal 
such by-laws as to it may seem proper. 

9. The Commission may appoint an executive officer who may 
be a physician, not necessarily registered in the medical registry 
of the Province of Nova Scotia, but a graduate of a medical school 
approved by the provincial medical board. 



Then passed in the House of Assembly. 



Then passed in Council. 



May 9, 1919. 

Robert Irwin, 

Speaker. 

May 17, 1919. 
M, H. GOUDGE, 

President. 



I, William A. Dickson, Clerk of the House of Assembly, do 

hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of an act passed 

at the last session of the Legislature and assented to by the 

Lieutenant-Governor on the seventeenth day of May, A.D. 1919. 

Dated at Halifax this twenty-second day of May, A.D. 1919. 

W. A. Dickson, 

Clerk. 



Chairmen of Woman's Committees, Council of National 
Defense, in Cities and Towns in Massachusetts 



Abington, . 
Acton, 

West Acton, 
Acuslmet, . 
Adams, 

North Adams 
Agawam, . 
Alford, 
Amesbury, 



Mrs. S. E. Eastman. 
Miss Charlotte Conant. 
Miss Laura A. Brown. 
Mrs. W. A. Wliite. 
Mrs. Frank Hanlon. 
Mrs. C. W. Dibble. 
Mrs. Henry E. Bodurtha. 
Mrs. Robert McLaren. 
Mrs. C. A. Smith. 



557 



Joint chairmen. 



Amherst, Mrs. W. R. Hart. 

Andover, Mrs. B. H. Hayes. 

North Andover and West Box- 
ford, Mrs. Wm. Sutton. 

Arhngton, Mrs. H. W. Reed. 

Ashburnham, Mrs. Jas. T. "\Mieelan. 

Ashby, Mrs. G. H. Joyce. 

Ashfield, Mrs. Wm. S. Hunter. 

Ashland, Mrs. H. E. Warren. 

Athol, Mrs. Geo. H. Dodge. 

Attleboro, Mrs. H. M. Daggett. 

North Attleborough, . Mrs. Geo. Cotton. 

Avon, Mrs. E. C. Glover. 

Ayer, Mrs. S. B. Dickerman. 

Baldwinsville and Templeton, Mrs. I. M. Coleman. 

Barnstable and Osterville, Mrs. Edward A. Handy, 

Barre, Mrs. Harold Wilder. 

f Mrs. Fred Bullard 

' I Mrs. Bertha Shaw 

Bedford, Mrs. Geo. R. Blinn. 

Belchertown, Mrs. E. E. Sargent. 

Bellingham, Mrs. Walter E. Cooke. 

Belmont, Mrs. E. F. Atkins. 

Berkley, Mrs. Chas. H. Macomber. 

Berlin, Mrs. Geo. Sawyer. 

Bernardston, Miss M. B. Barnard. 

Beverly, Mrs. Edgar Rideout. 

BUlerica, Mrs, Wm. H. Sexton. 

Blackstone, Mrs. A. F. Thayer. 

Blandford, Miss Susan E. Tiffany. 

Bolton, Mrs. O. A. Everett. 

Boston Mrs. H. J. Gurney. 

Bourne, Mrs. Eben S. S. Keith. 

Boxborough, Mrs. George W. Burroughs. 

Boxford, Mrs. E. L. Bradford. 

Boj^lston, " Mrs. Wm. S. Garfield. 

West Boylston, . . . ■ . Mrs. C. E. Burbank. 

Braintree, Mrs. Pamelia G. Webber. 

Brewster, Miss Alice E. Sears (Secretary). 

Bridgewater, Mrs. R. W. McLean. 

East Bridgewater, . . . Miss ^laria L. Nutter. 

West Bridgewater, . . . Mrs. J. J. Copeland. 

Brimfield, Miss Anna Tarbell. 



Brockton, 




. Mrs. W. A. Chaplain. 


Brookfield, 


. Mrs. John MacLaurin, 


North Brookfield, 


. Mrs. Herbert E. Cummings 


West Brookfield, . 


. Miss F. E. Gilbert. 


Brookline, .... 


. Mrs. Caroline Perkins. 


Buckland, .... 


. Miss M. B. Brown. 


Burlington, 


. Mrs. Geo. B. Perkins. 


Cambridge, 


. Mrs. Edmund A. Whitman. 


Canton, .... 


. Miss Mildred M. Dunbar. 


Carver, .... 


. Mrs. Edw. Slugg. 


CentervUle and Craigville, 


. Miss Mable Phinney. 


Charlemont, 


. Mrs. L. W. Sears. 


Charlton, .... 


. . Mrs. E. W. Preble. 


Chatham, .... 


. Mrs. Herman A. Harding. 


Chelmsford, 


. Miss Maude Perham. 


Chelsea, .... 


. Mrs. Chester N. Cole. 


Chester, .... 


. Mrs. Frank Fay. 


Chesterfield, 


. Mrs. F. H. Bryant. 


Chicopee, .... 


. Mrs. W. B. Culver. 


Chilmark, .... 


. Mrs. F. B. Mayhew. 


Clarksburg, 


. Mrs. Elizabeth H. Dibble. 


Clinton, .... 


. Mrs. Wm, Bancroft. 


Cohasset, .... 


. Mrs. Oliver H. Howe. 


Colrain, .... 


. Mrs. A. F. Smith. 


Concord, .... 


. Mrs. Geo. M. Baker. 


Cotuit and Santuit, 


. Mrs. C. F. Hodges. 


Crescent Mills, 


. Mrs. Jas. Walkinshaw. 


Cummington, . 


. Mrs. Leslie Porter. 


Dalton, 


. Mrs. E. L. Brown. 


Dana, 




. Mrs. C. C. Richardson. 


Danvers, 




Mrs. Osborne Leach. 


Dartmouth 




. Mrs. E. M. Poole. 


Dedhani, 




. Miss Margaret Warren. 


Deerfield, 




. Miss Edith Root. 


Dennis, 




. Mrs. Hayden Richardson. 


East Dennis, 


. Mrs. Susan H. Sears. 


Dennisport, . . . . 


Mrs. M. F. Young. 


South Dennis, 


Mrs. C. A. Davis. 


West Dennis, 


. Mrs. E. S. Osborne. 


Dighton, 


. Mrs. Geo. B. Glidden. 


Douglas, 


. Mrs. Gertrude McMahon. 


Dover, 




. Mrs. Richard AV. Hale. 



559 



Dracut, . . 

Dunstable, 
Duxbury, . 

Eastham, . 

Easthampton, 

Easton, 

Edgartown, 

Egremont, . 

Enfield, . 

Erving, 

Essex, 

Everett, 

Fairliaven, 
Fall River, 
Falmouth, . 
Feeding Hills Center 
Fitchburg, 
Foxborough, 
Framingham, 
Franklin, . 
Freetown, . 

Gardner, 
Gay Head, 
Georgetown, 
Gill, . 
Goshen, 
Gosnold, 

Grafton, 

Granby, 

Granville, . 

Greenfield, 

Greenwich, 

Groton, 

Groveland, 

Hadley, 

South Hadley, 
Halifax, 
Hamilton, , 



Miss Edna Cutter. 
Miss Alice L. Butterfield. 
Mrs. Lewis J. Thomas. 

Miss May A. Knowles. 
Mrs. W. C. Tannatt. 
Mrs. L. A. Frothingham. 
Miss Enid Yandell. 
Mrs. C. Leonard Holton. 
Mrs. Walter Bliss. 
Mrs. W. G. Hawkes. 
Miss Evelyn Knowlton. 
Mrs. B. M. Rowand. 

Miss Mabel Potter. 
Miss Anna H. Borden. 
Mrs. J. M. Watson, 
and Agawam, Mrs. F. W. Taylor. 
Mrs. Chas. E. Ware. 
Mrs. Arthur W. Owen. 
Mrs. N. I. Bowditch. 
Mrs. U. L. Burns. 
Mrs. Wm. Sherman. 

Mrs. Selon Wilder. 

Miss Nanetta Vanderhoop. 

Miss Katharine D. Root. 

« 

Miss Laella Van Valkenburgh. 

JVIrs. George L. Barrus. 

Mrs. Roland S. Snow.' 
[ Mrs. J. L. Keith. 

\ Mrs. Frank Warren, Acting Chair- 
[ man. 

Mrs. Chas. W. Ball. 

Mrs. Emma L. Stowe. 

Mrs. Arthur D. Potter. 

Mrs. Wm. H. Walker. 

Mrs. Frank A. Torry. 

Mrs. Ernest W. Boner. 

Mrs. F. H. Lawrence. 
Mrs. Wm. O'Brien. 
Mrs. Abram Bourne. 
Mrs. Edward B. Cole. 



560 



Hampden, 








Mrs. C. S. Shute. 


Hancock, . 






Mrs. Charles Wells. 


Hanover, . 






Mrs. William F. Bates. 


Hanover Center, 






Mrs. Bernard Stetson. 


North Hanover, . 






Mrs. John Prosper Merrill. 


South Hanover, . 






Mrs. Morrill A. Phillips. 


West Hanover, 






Miss Grace L. Russell. 


Hanson, 






Mrs. Mary Lewis. 


Harvard, 








Miss Clara E. Sears. 


Harwich, 








Mrs. Harriet D. Handy. 


Hatfiekl, 








Mrs. R. F. Wells. 


Haverhill, 








Mrs. Grant H. Fairbanks. 


Hawley, 








Miss Mabel P. Sears. 


Heath, 








Mrs. Wilson Hillman. 


Hingham, 








Miss Grace Richards. 


Hinsdale, 








Miss Harriet E. Tracy. 


Holbrook, 








Miss Mary L. Holbrook. 


Holden, 








Mrs. J. Quincy Dix. 


Holland, 








Mrs. Arthur G. Childs. 


Holliston, 








Mrs. Allan V. Garratt. 


Holyoke, 








Mrs. Nathan P. Avery. 


Hopedale and Milford, 






Miss Fanny C. Osgood. 


Hopkinton, 






Mrs. G. W. Butterfield. 


Hubbardston, . 






Mrs. Wm. E. Clough. 


Hudson, 






Mrs. Henry P. Walker. 


Hull 






Mrs. Carrie E. Mitchell. 


Huntington, 






Mrs. Frank T. Clapp. 


Hyannis, . 






Mrs. James N. Smith. 


Hyde Park and Readville, 




Mrs. Fred S. Smith. 


Ipswich, Mrs. Joseph W. Ross. 


Kingston, Miss Helen Holmes. 


Lancaster, Miss Mary W. Bartol. 


Lanesborough, . 






Mrs. H. C. Beers. 


Lawrence, . . . 






Mrs. John P. Sweeney. 


Lee, .... 






Miss Henrietta Y. Bosworth 


Leicester, . 






Mrs. J. S. Whittemore. 


Lenox, 






Mrs. Roswell D. Curtis. 


Leominster, 






Mrs. W. H. Bosworth. 


Leverett, . 






Miss Florence E. Eel ton. 


North Le 


verett, . 






Miss Carrie Graves. 



561 



Lexington, 
Leyden, 
Lincoln, 
Littleton, . 
Longmeadow, 

East Longmeadow, 
Lowell, 
Ludlow, 
Lunenburg, 
Lynn, 
Lynnfield, . 

South Lynnfield, 

Maiden, . 

ISIanchester, 

Mansfield, 

Marbleliead, 

Marion, 

Marlborough, 

Marshfield, 

Mashpee, . 

Mattapoisett, 

Maynard, . 

Medfield, . 

Medford, . 

Medway, . 

Melrose, 

Mendon, . 

Merrimac, . 

Methuen, . 
Middleborough, 
Middlefield, 
Middlcton, 
Millbury, . 
Millers Falls, 
MiUville, . 
Milton, 
Mittineague, 
Moore's Corner, 
Monson, 
Montague, 
Monterey, . 



Mrs. Ed. H. Nowers, 
Mrs. Alfred P. Black. 
Mrs. Sarah Phillips Bradley. 
Miss Fannie A. Sanderson. 
Mrs. Flynt Lincoln. 
Mrs. Albert Denslow. 
Mrs. Butler Ames. 
Mrs. C. T. Harrington. 
Mrs. Frederick L. Francis. 
Mrs. Henrietta T. Rundlett. 
Mrs. Annie P. Hutchinson. 
Miss May Elder. 

Mrs. F. A. Shove. 

Mrs. Wm. Hooper. 

Mrs. Lillian A. Davison. 

Miss Edith J. Fabans. 

Mrs. H. M. Knowlton. 

Miss Mabel Leighton. 

Miss Emma Sparrell. 

Mrs. Dorcas M. Gardner. 

Miss Alice Stackpole. 

Mrs. Augustus L. Morse. 

Mrs. W. A. Werker. 

Mrs. Laura P. Patten. 

Mrs. Orion T. Mason. 

Mrs. Harold Marshall. 
[ Miss Juha F. Darling. 
\ Miss Florence Bennett, 
[ Chairman. 

Mrs. Hattie M. Bridges. 

Mrs. Franz Schneider. 

Mrs. GranvUle E. Tillson. 

Mrs. W. Ovid Fames. 

Mrs. J. Warren Osborne. 

Mrs. C. C. Ferguson. 

Mrs. H. M. Ward. 

Mrs. John M. Ransom. 

Mrs. Wallace C. Tucker. 

Mrs. Henry Tower. 

Mrs. Frank N. Bourne. 

Mrs. Robert H. Cushman. 

Mrs. C. M. Bardwell. 

Mrs. Campbell. 



Acting 



5G2 



Montgomery, . 


Mrs. Frank J. Clark. 


Mount Washington, 


Mrs. Earl VanDeusen. 


Nahant, .... 


Mrs. Fred A. Wilson. 


Nantucket, 


Mrs. Ida H. Folger. 


Natick, .... 


Mrs. Henry C. Mulligan. 




Mrs. Bernard J. Rothwell. 


Needham, .... 


. ■ Mrs. Moses Williams, Jr., 




Chairman. 


New Bedford, . 


. Mrs. Andrew G. Pierce, Jr. 


New Braintree, 


Mrs. James Green. 


Newburyport, . 


. Miss Mary T. Spalding. 


West Newbury, 


Mrs. Jas. E. Holmes. 


New Salem, 


. Mrs. Geneva Sieg Ballard. 


Newton, .... 


Mrs. Irving 0. Palmer. 


Northampton, . 


. Mrs. Chas. E. ChUds. 


Northborough, . 


Mrs. Herbert L. Kimball. 


Northbridge, 


. Mrs. Sidney R. Mason. 


Northfield, 


. Mrs. C. E. Williams. 


Norton, .... 


. Mrs. Herbert H. Smith. 


Norwell, .... 


Mrs. Amy W. Sylvester. 


Norwood, .... 


. Mrs. J. C. Lane. 


Oak Bluffs, 


Mrs. Adalj'n Ripley. 


Oakdale, .... 


. Mrs. Chester N. Pratt. 


Oakham, .... 


. Mrs. Effie Swindle. 


Orange, .... 


. Mrs. W. E. Osterhout. 


Orleans, .... 


. Miss Mary S. Cummings. 


Otis, 


. Miss Nellie E. Haskell. 


Oxford, .... 


Mrs. Joselin. 


Palmer, .... 


. Mrs. G. S. Holden. 


Paxton, .... 


Mrs. Chas. H. Derby. 


Peabody, .... 


Mrs. J. B. Palmer. 


Pelham, .... 


. Mrs. F. A. Shepard. 


Pembroke, 


. Mrs. Dorothy H. Thayer. 


Pepperell, .... 


. Mrs. Nathaniel W. Appleton 


Petersham, 


. Mrs. Wm. S. McNutt. 


PhUlipston, 


. Mrs. G. M. Chaffin. 


Pittsfield, .... 


. Dr. Mary Anna Wood. 


Plainfield, .... 


. Mrs. N. K. Lincoln. 


Plymouth, 


. Mrs. Edward E. Hobart. 


Plympton, 


Mrs. Charles D. Page. 


Pottersville, 


. Mrs. Albert Walton. 



Acting 



563 



Prescott, . 
Princeton, . 
Provincetown, 



Mrs. Frank Allen. 
Miss Isabel Davis. 
Mrs. Marv E. Kendriek. 



Quincy, 



Mrs. John D. MacKav, 



Randolph, . 
Reading, 

North Reading, 
Rehoboth, 
Revere, 
Richmond, 
Rochester, 
Rockland, . 
Rockport, . 
Rowe, 
Rowley, 
Royal ston, 
Russell Mountain, 
Rutland, . 



Mrs. Ellen T. Proctor. 
Mrs. Helen R. Grimes. 
Mrs. C. F. Burditt. 
Mrs. Amelia Carpenter. 
Mrs. Alfred Hall. 
Miss Catharine B. Runkle. 
Miss Mary L. Holmes. 
Mrs. Giles W. Howland. 
Mrs. Fred H. Tarr. 
Mrs. B. T. Henry. 
Mrs. W. H. Keyes. 
Mrs. Walter N. Farrar. 
Mrs. A. E. Bolton. 
Mrs. F. H. Drurv. 



Salem, 

Salisbury, 

Sandwich, 

Saugus, 

Scituate, 

Seekonk, 

Sharon, 

Sheffield, 

Shelburne, 

Sherborn, 

Shirley, 

Shrewsbury, 

Shutesbury, 

Somerville, 

Southborough, 

Southbridge, 

Southampton, 

Southwick, 

Spencer, 

Springfield, 

West Springfield, 
Sterling, 



Mrs. C. O. Emmerton. 
Mrs. John Q. Evans. 
Miss Julia A. Yard. 
Miss Emma Newhall. 
Mrs. George V. Yenetchi. 
Mrs. Herbert E. Cusliing. 
Mrs. Samuel G. Spear. 
Mrs. Joseph Kirby. 
Mrs. F. E. Chapman. 
Mrs. Francis Bard well. 
Mrs. David Lindenberg. 
Mrs. Thomas A. Hickey. 
Mrs. Thomas H. Ingham. 
Mrs. Frederick G. Smith. 
Mrs. Ellwood W. Ward. 
Mrs. George M. Cheney. 
Mrs. E. C. Searle. 
Mrs. A. R. Webb. 
Mrs. J. C. Austin. 
Mrs. Arthur C. Dutton. 
Mrs. M. L. Brown. 
Mrs. Herbert W. Robinson. 



50-1 



Stockbridge, Mrs. Grenville G. Merrill. 

West Stockbridge, . . . Mrs. Francis Day. 

Stoneham, Mrs. G. W. Nickerson. 

Stoughton, Mrs. Nathaniel W. Faxon. 

Stow, Mrs. Charles A. Hearsey. 

Sturbridge, Mrs. George S. Ladd. 

Sudbury, Mrs. Melvin Guptill. 

Sunderland, Mrs. Charles Moline. 

Sutton, Mrs. George Freeland. 

Swampscott, Mrs. P. S. Bailey. 

Swansea, Mrs. Augusta Barney. 

Taunton, ]Mrs. Edward Lovering. 

Templeton and Baldwinsville, . Mrs. I. M. Coleman. 

Tewksbury, Mrs. C. Brooks Stevens. 

Three Rivers, Mrs. C. H. van Deusen. 

Tisbury, Mrs. Henrj^ R. Flanders. 

West Tisbury, .... Mrs. James Adams. 

Tolland, Mrs. Homer T. Hale. 

Topsfield, Miss Katherine Willman. 

Truro, Miss Mary M. Rich. 

Turners Falls, Mrs. W. L. Salmon. 

Tyngsborough, .... Mrs. Chester H. Queen. 

Tyringham, Mrs. Banyer Clarkson. 

Upton, Mrs. Samuel R. Capen, 

Uxbridge, Mrs. D. H. Reese. 

Wakefield, Mrs. Henry S. Bouve. 

Wales, Mrs. C. T.Holt. 

Walpole, Mrs. Joseph S. Leach. 

Waltham, Mrs. Florence E. Crocker. 

Ware, Miss Carolyn V. Tucker. 

Wareham, Mrs. Frank A. Besse. 

Warren, Mrs. H. N. Shepard. 

Warwick, . . . . . . Mrs. Frederick W. Bass. 

Washington, Mrs. Alexander Drumm. 

Watertown, Miss Lillian C. Albee. 

Wayland, Mrs. Frank I. Cooper. 

Webster and Dudley, . . . Mrs. J. H. Hetherman. 

Wellesley, Mrs. John E. Oldham. 

Wellfleet, Mrs. Arthur H. Rogers. 

Wendell and Farley, . . Mrs. Chas. H. Cogswell. 

Westborough, . . . . Mrs. Arthur W. Nourse. 

565 



Westfield, . 








Mrs. 


Westford, . 








. Mrs. 


Wcsthanipton, 








. Miss 


Westminster, 








. Rev. 


Weston, 








Mrs. 


Westvvood, 








Mrs. 


Weymouth, 








. Miss 


Whately, . 








Mrs. 


Whitman, . 








Mrs. 


Wilbraliam, 








. Mrs. 


WilHamsburg, 








Miss 


WilHamstown, . 








. Mrs. 


Wilmington, 








. Mrs. 


Winchendon, 








. Mrs. 


Winchester, 








Mrs. 


Winthrop, . 








Mrs. 


Woburn, 








. Mrs. 


Worcester, 








. Mrs. 


Woronoco, 








. Mrs. 


Worthington, 








. Mrs. 


Wrentham, 








. Mrs. 


Wyben, 








Mrs. 


Yarmouth, 








Mrs. 



Frederic Hull. 
John P. Wright. 
Julia M. Edwards. 
Lucy M. Giles. 
Arthur H. Morse. 
E. Howard Child. 
Louisa E. IIumplir(\v. 

A. H. Beers. 

B. S. Atwood. 
Joseph B. White. 
Anna Dunj)hy. 
William C. Hart. 
Tyler A. Stevens. 
William E. Holden. 
Minnie C. Ely. 
John E. Gilman, Jr. 
Wm. R. Emery. 
Samuel B. Woodward. 
James B. Wagg. 
Frederick Fairman. 
George L. Wallace. 

S. A. Allen. 



Mrs. Nathan H. Matthews. 



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567 



Food Committees 

Home Economics 

Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer, Home Economics Director. 

Mrs. Malcolm Donald, Chairman, Women's Council of National 'Defense 

Food Committee. 
Dean Sarah Louise Arnold, Ex-Chairman, Food Committee. 



Pres. Kenyon L. Butterfield. 
Laura B. Comstock. 
Z. C. Dickinson. 
George H. Ellis. 
Henry B. Endicott. 



Mrs. Herbert J. Gurney. 
Louise Pryor. 
Antoinette Roof. 
James H. Ropes. 
Frances Stern. 



Educational Director and Publicity Agencies 

John F. O'Connell. 
Thomas J. Feenev. 



Daniel J. O'Connor 
Robert B. Kelty. 
Grace M. Burt. 
Grace E. Cobb. 



Mrs. Frederic E. Dowling. 



Retail Store Publicity 

George W. Mitton, State Merchant Representative, 
Earle Power, Assistant. 
Gertrude Chamberlain, Secretary. 

Printing, Spe.ak.ers' Bureau and Movies 



Arthur A. Kidder, Chief. 
Francis H. Appleton, Jr. 



Mrs. Caroline Fitzgerald. 
Kenneth G. T. Webster. 



Literature Bureau 
Louise W. Jackson. | Mrs. Kenneth S. Usher. 

Library Director 

Edith Guerrier. | Mrs. Marian P. Libbey, Assistant. 

Elizabeth Burrage, Assistant. 

Director of School and College Activities 

James H. Ropes. 

Ada Comstock, Secretary of Volunteer College Workers. 

Boston Produce Markets 
A. Presby Colburn. | Alice Parker, Field Agent. 

508 



State-wide Market Service 



E. Farnum Damon. 
Robert W. Merrick. 
William L. Machmer. 



Elliot Rogers. 
Joseph McEvoy. 
James L. Early. 



CoMMxnsriTY IVIarkets 
George H. Burnett. 

Regulation Divisions 
Enforcement Division 
W. Rodman Peabody, General Counsel 
Isaiah R. Clark, Assistant Counsel. 
John E. Hannigan, Assistant Counsel. 
Beatrice Vaughn, Secretary. 

License Division 



Z. C. Dickinson, Chief. 
Alice McWilliams, Clerk. 
Paul J. Sachs (in service), former 
Chief. 



C. O. Blood. 
Charles H. Cutting. 
Dr. Walter G. Chase. 



Price Division 
Richard M. Everett. Chief, Assistant Food Administrator. 
Henry C. Everett, Jr., Chief, Assistant Food Administrator. 



Bertha R. Eastman. 
Mrs. W^. M. Buckley, Secretary. 
Mrs. W. M. Wheeler, Chief of 
Price Reporting. 



Mrs. E. W. Hoist. 

George W. Lakin, Inspector. 

Benjamin Freedman, Inspector. 



Retail Price Committee 



Charles F. Adams. 
C. O. Blood. 
James D. Casey. 
J. Frank O'Hare. 
Henry S. Potter, Jr. 



Leonard Rhodes. 
H. A. Spinney. 
Charles S. Tenney. 
Mrs. W. M. Wheeler. 



Sugar Division 
EdAvard Wigglesworth, Chief, Assistant Food Administrator. 



Kenneth S. Usher. 
Arthur S. Browne. 



Mary H. Bergen, Secretary. 



H. P. Smith. 



Grocers' Sugar Department 

I H. M. Northev. 



569 



Manufacturers' , Bakers' and Restaurant Sugar Department 
Frank A. Harding. 



J. Fred Hussey. 
X. J. Stevens. 
Harrv B. Blake. 



Joanne Tobin. 



Sugar Inspection Department 

Henry R. Benson. 
W. Everett Smith. 
Thomas F. Fitzgerald. 

Sugar Certificate Department 

1 Mrs. French. 



Cereal Division 
Z. C. Dickinson, Chief. 

Flour and Substitute Department 



Russell J. Goodnow. 
Mrs. Louise B. Thompson. 
John Heard, Jr. 
Donald G. Barnes. 
Leon H. Davis. 



Edward A. Cutting. 

Warren G. Torrey. 

A. I. Merigold, representing Food 
Administration Grain Corpora- 
tion. 



Dr. Edward Revnolds. 



Medical Advisers 

I Dr. Charles W. Townscnd. 



George H. Ellis. 



Food and Grain Department 

I . J. D. WiUard. 



Baking Division 



Arthur N. Milliken, Chief. 
G. Glover Crocker. 



Louis A. Merry. 
J. J. Sullivan. 



' William T. May, Assistant. 
Harriet Ross, Secretary. 



Inspectors 



H. C. Thomas. 



Executive Committee Bakers' Service Board 
Alton H. Hathaway, Chairman. 
Frank R. Shepard, Treasurer. 
D. F. Phelps, Secretary. 



George B. Ochsner. 
Alexander Renton. 



Robert Rausch. 



570 



County Captains of Bakers 



Barnstable, Edward J. Sheehan. 
Berkshire, C. I. Bigley. 
Bristol, H. P. Dion. 
Essex, Joseph Dube. 
Franklin, Louis A. Phelps. 
Hampden, Eugene A. Dexter. 



Hampshire, J. A. Maloney. 
Middlesex, Victor A. Friend. 
Norfolk, William J. Gurley. 
Plymouth, A. C. Hastings. 
Suffolk, C. J. McGovern. 
Worcester, A. Swanson. 



Hotel and Restaurant Division 



Frank C. Hall, Chairman. 
Dr. H. P. Jacques. 

Arthur N. Milliken. 



Mrs. Gertrude E. Simpson, Secre- 
tary, 



Hotels 



Arthur L. Race. 
Archie Hurlburt. 
Chas. T. Shean. 
C. S. AveriU. 
H. L. Teague. 



N. A. Eldridge. 
W. M. Kimball. 
J. Floyd Russell. 
Lester Roberts. 
C. M. Hart. 



H. S. Kelsey. 
Walter Cook. 



Restaurants 



W. L. Bireley, 



Steaniboats 
E. R. Grabow. 

Industrial Restaurants, Schools and Colleges 
E. H. Ansell. 

Clubs 
Llewellyn Howland. 



Transportation and Adjustment Division 
W'illiam L. Putnam, Chairman. 



O. M. Chandler. 
George M. Flint. 
Davenport Brown. 



Alfred W. Otis, Adjuster, 
Anna Griffin, Secretary. 
John J. Higgins. 



571 



Town and City Food Administrators 



Barnstable County 



Barnstable and West Barnstable, 

Bourne, 

Brewster, . 

Centerville, 

Chatham, . 

Dennis, 

Falmouth, . 

Harwich, . 

Hyannis, . 

Orleans, 

Provincetown, 

Sandwich, . 

Truro, 

Wellfleet, . 



West Dennis, 
Yarmouth, 



Howard N. Parker. 
Robert S. Handy. 
W. B. Crocker. 
C. E. Doubtfire. 
Geo. H. Nickerson, 2d. 
James H. Jenks. 
H. V. Lawrence. 
L. G. Williams. 
L. B. Boston. 
E. H. Upham. 
W. B. Bangs. 
George L. McCann. 
M. F. Corey. 

James L. Gordon, Acting Chair- 
man. 
Geo. H. Garfield. 
Edmund W. Eldridge. 



Berkshire County 

Adams, Harry E. Davis. 

Alford, A. S. Garrison. 

Becket Ormi S. Willis. 

Cheshire, W. A. Benjamin. 

Clarksburg, Richard L. Francis. 

Dalton, C. H. Church. 

Florida, J- A. Newman. 

Great Barrington, Thomas H. Maloney. 

Hancock, W. K. Hadselle. 

Hartsville (New Marlborough), Miss L. A. Doncaster. 

Hinsdale, T. J. O'Leary. 

Hoosac Tunnel (Florida), . J. A. Newman. 

Lanesborough, Chas. A. Fowler. 

Lee James B. Pollard. 

Lenox, George F. Bourne. 

Monterey, Lester S. Miner. 

New Ashford, Forest C. Wliitc. 

North Adams, . . . M. V. N. Bramaii. 

Otis, George P. Carter. 

Peru, F. G. Creamer. 

Pittsfield, Harry Holden. 



572 



Richmond, R. C. Stead. 

Savoy, A. J. McCuUoch. 

Sheffield, W. D. French. 

Stockbridge, E. J. Flynn. 

South Egremont, J. C. O'Neil. 

Tyringham, El. L. Tinker. 

West Stockbridge, Fred Toby. 

Williamstown, Samuel B. Blagden. 

Windsor, ^ . J. A. Estes. 

Bristol County 

Attleboro, Rehoboth and Seekonk, . Joseph Finberg. 

Easton, Wm. N. Howard. 

Fall River, Somerset, Swansea and 

Westport, M. A. McClarence. 

Mansfield and Norton, .... Elvin L. Smith. 

New Bedford, Acushnet and Dart- 
mouth, 

Fairhaven, Freetown and New Bedford, Ernest A. Wlieaton. 

North Attleborough, .... Rev. H. E. Latham. 

Taunton, Raynham, .... Merle T. Barker. 

Somerset, Pottersville and Swansea, . Adam W. Grifford. 

Dukes County 

Chilmark, Hartford C. Mayhew. 

Edgartown B. T. Hillman. 

Gay Head, L. L. Vanderhoop. 

Gosnold, Chas. B. Church. 

Oak Bluflfs, F. W. Smith. 

Tisbury, Wm. A. Robinson. 

West Tisbury, W. E. Mayhew. 



Essex County 



Amesbury, 

Andover, . 

Beverly, 

Danvers, 

Essex, 

Georgetown, 

Gloucester, 

Groveland, 

Hamilton and Wenh 



John J. Allen. 
Fred H. Jones. 
J. W. McPherson. 
Chas. H. Preston. 
Albion Riggs. 
William Bray. 
T. J. Carroll. 
Chas. H. Pike. 
J. D. Barnes. 



573 



Haverhill, 

Ipswich, 

Lawrence, 

Lynn, 

Lynnfield, 

Manchester, 

Marblehead, 

Merrimac, . 

Methuen, . 

Middleton, 

Nahant, 

Newbury, . 

Newburyport, 

North Andover 

Peabody, 

Rockport, 

Rowley, 

Salem, 

Salisbury, 
Saugus, 
Swampscott, 
Topsfield, . 
West Boxford, 
West Newbury, 



Geo. L. Martin. 
Chas. E. Goodline. 
T. A. Welch. 
H. Herbert Richardson. 
Nelson B. Todd. 
Geo. Wilmonton. 
Joseph W. Coates. 
Willis H. Scott. 
William Taylor. 
Maurice E. Taylor. 
H. C. Wilson. 
Richard P. Noyes. 
William G. Fisher. 
Herbert McQuestion. 
J. J. Cartten. 
John Dennis. 
J. N. Dummer. 
Arthur H. Phippen. 
Charles Lawson. 
John Q. Evens. 
Wm. O. Bursch. 
Ed. H. Kitfield. 
I. H. Sawyer. 
Leroy E. Colby. 
L. G. Dodge. 



Franklin County 

Ashfield, Abbot L. Howes. 

Bernardston, Henry L. Crowell. 

Buckland, F. D. Kendrick. 

Charlemont, Geo. Frary. 

Colrain Walter Kemp. 

Conway, Edward Affhouser. 

Deerfield, Lincoln B. Wells. 

Erving, C. H. Holmes. 

Gill, P.S.Eddy. 

Greenfield, ...... Fred W. Burnham. 

Hawley, H. C. Hodge. 

North Heath, J. G. Thompson. 

Leverett, C. Hall Beaman. 

Leydon, Rev. A. E. Roberts. 

Monroe, E. C. Davis. 

Montague, Fred C. Abercrombie. 

574 



New Salem, E. F. Stowell. 

Northfield, F. A. Welch. 

Orange, W. S. Johnson. 

Rowe, Henry D. Wright. 

Shelburne, F. D. Kendrick. 

Shutesbury, S. R. Johnson. 

Sunderland, C. P. Smith. 

Warwick, ■ . O. W. Cole. 

Wendell, N. B. Plumb. 

Whately, Montville L. Crafts. 

Hampden County 

Agawam, . D. J. Collins. 

Blandford, W. V. Bodurtha. 

Brimfield, C. B. Brown. 

Chester, Leon J. Kelso. 

Chicopee, N. P. A. Carter. 

East Longmeadow, H. W. King. 

Granville, . O. R. Noble. 

Hampden, . C. J. Burleigh. 

Holland, J. F. Hebard. 

Holyoke, J. B. Weis. 

Longmeadow, Fred M. Flagg. 

Ludlow, W. E. Gushen. 

Monson, Rufus P. Cushman. 

Montgomery, MjTon Kelso. 

Palmer, R. C. NeweU. 

Russell, E. D. Parks. 

Southwick, J. W. Root. 

Springfield, C. B. Potter. 

Tolland, John R. Rogers. 

Wales, L. H. Thompson. 

West Springfield, A. L. Pease. 

Westfield, L. B. AUyn. 

Wilbraham, F. A. Warren. 

Hampshire County 

Amherst, Mason A. Dickinson. 

Easthampton, Archibald Forbes. 

Greenwich, E. H. Walker. 

Northampton, Louis L. Campbell and William 

Kimball. 

Ware, E. H Brenan. 

575 



Middlesex County 



Acton Administrator, 
Arlington Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Ashby Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Ashland Administrator, 
Aver Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Bedford Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Belmont Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Billeriea Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Boxborougli Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Burlington Administrator, 
Cambridge Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Carlisle Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
Chelmsford Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Concord Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
Dracut Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Dunstable Administrator, 
Everett Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
Framingham Administrator 

Control, 
Groton Administrator, 

Food Control, 
HoUiston Administrator,- 
Hopkinton Administrator 

Control, 
Hudson Administrator, . 

Food Control, 

Lexington Administrator, 
Lincoln Administrator, . 
Food Control, 



and 



and 



Food 



Food 



Allen S. Porker. 
Charles H. Higgins. 
Warren P. Peirce. 
Rev. E. S. Treworgy. 
Walter H. Smith. 
George G. Tidsbury. 
George L. Osgood. 
George H. Hill. 
George R. Blinn, 
W. J. Balfour. 
Dr. L. B. Clark. 
F. H. Kendall. 
Charles A. Wright. 
Thomas F. Sheridan. 
Stephen D. Salmon, 3d. 
Arthur W. Nelson. 
Fred Kneeland Walker. 
William W. Davis. 
Edwin A. Cutting. 
Herbert A. Lee. 
James F. Anthony. 
C. George Armstrong. 
Herbert C. Sweetser. 
Allen French. 
George M. Baker. 
Thomas Varnum. 
A. L. Blizzard. 
James E. Kendall. 
H. Heustis Newton. 
Henry Duncan. 

Theodore F. Rice. 
S. Warren Sturgis. 
Stephen W. Sabine. 
Louis E. P. Smith. 

Daniel J. Riley. 

Loriman Brigham. 

Thomas Kelly and Edgar P. 

Larkin. 
George E. Briggs. 
C. S. Smith. 
George L. Chapin. 



576 



and 



Littleton Administrator and Food 

trol, .... 
Lowell Administrator, 
Maiden Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
Marlborough Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Maynard Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Melrose Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
Natick Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Newton Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
North Reading Administrator 

Control, 
Pepperell Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Reading Administrator, . 

Food Control, 
Sherborn Administrator, 
Shirley Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Somerville Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Stoneham Administrator, 
Stow Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Sudbury Administrator, . 
Tewksbury Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Townsend Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Tyngsborough Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Wakefield x4dministrator. 

Food Control, 
Waltham Administrator and Food 

trol, .... 
Watertown Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Wayland Administrator, 
Westfield Administrator, 



Con- 



Food 



Con- 



John H. Hardy. 
Edward Fisher. 
George H. Johnson. 
Daniel McKenzie. 
John A. O'Connell. 
Winfield Temple. 
George Smith. 
George F. Morse. 
Chas. H. Adams. 
Chas. E. Merrill. 
John B. Leamy. 
Chas. H. HoUis. 
Alfred McDonald. 
Alfred W. Fuller. 

Herbert D. Wilson. 
Waldo Spaulding. 
John L. Boynton. 
Frank Gray. 
M. E. Brande. 
Arthur R. Wright. 
Mrs. David L. Lindenburg. 
Frank Lawton. 
Chas. V. Blanchard. 
Irving Taylor. 
George R. Barnstead. 
Rev. J. Sidney Moult on. 
R. P. Harriman, Maynard. 
Winthrop H. Fairbank. 
Irving F. French. 
Harry L. Shedd. 
A. Dudley Bagley. 
Frank B. Higgins. 
H. E. Symonds. 
Raymond W. Sherbourne. 
Dr. Chas. E. Montague. 
Joseph L. Gooch. 

Fred H. Kirwin. 
Wesley E. Monk. 
H. L. Paine. 
Chester B. Williams. 
James W. Rafter. 



577 



Weston Administrator, . 
Wilmington iVdministrator, . 

Food Control, 
Winchester Administrator, 

Food Control, 
Woburn Administrator and Food Con- 
trol, B. G. Fowler. 



Mrs. John B. Paine. 
Dr. T. B. Buzzell. 
Ed. Woodside. 
James Hinds. 
Maurice Deneen. 



Norfolk County 



Avon, 
Braintree, . 
Brookline, 
Canton, 
Cohasset, 
Dedham and W 
Dover, 
Foxborough, 
Franklin, . 
Holbrook, . 
MiUis, 
Milton, 
Medfield, . 
Medway, . 
Needham, . 
Norfolk, 
Norwood, . 
Plainville, . 
Quincy, 
Randolph, 
Sharon, 
Stoughton, 
Wellesley, . 
Wrentham, 



estwood 



Carroll A. Capen. 
Chas. O. Miller. 
W. E. Ward. 
H. Everett Beal. 
Geo. W. Collier. 
Theodore F. March. 
James H. Chickering. 
Ernest A. ^^^^ite. 
Ulysses L. Burne. 
Alfred C. Magaw. 
Everett L. Coldwill. 
Joseph Babcock. 
Henry E. Young. 
Sewell E. Kingsbury. 
Henry L. Thompson. 
Clifford L. Hubbard. 
Frederick E. Brooks. 
Theodore E. Fuller. 
Miss Wane. 
Carroll A. Capen. 
J. J. Rafter. 
Ernest H. Gilbert. 
Geo. H. Sweetser. 
Geo. L. Dodd. 



Plymouth County 
Town Captains 

Abington, E. P. Boynton. 

Bridgewater, Samuel Norton. 

Brockton, Walter T. Packard. 

Lieutenants: William Rankin, C. G. Clap]), C W. O. Lawson, Walter 
Pratt, Orvis F. Kinney and Miss Annie L. Burke. 



578 



Carver, H. S. Griffith. 

Dvixbury, Sidne.y G. Soule. 

East Bridgewater, Fred E. Fuller. 

Halifax, C. F. Tewksbury. 

Lieutenants: Frank E. Tyler, Secretary, E. Lawrence Grover, Wm. E. 

Robertson, Geo. W. Sturtevant, Wm. B. Wood and Clarence E. 

Devitte. 

Hanover, John W. Beal. 

Hanson, A. B. Sturtevant. 

Hingham, Edgar M. Lane. 

Hull, John WTieeler. 



Miss Helen Holmes. 
Oscar F. Stetson. 
Arthur E. Griffin. 
David F. Strange. 



Kingston, 

Lakeville, 

Marion, 

Marshfield, 

Lieutenant: Oliver Hatch. 

Mattapoisett, Henry L. Dunham. 

Middleborough, Oscar F. Stetson. 

Norwell, Joseph C. Otis. 

Lieutenants: Henry D. Smith, Carleton O. Litchfield, Charles Scully, 
Jesse Reed and Geo. H. Turner. 
Pembroke, H. L. Shepard. 



Plymouth, 
Plympton, 
Rochester, . 
Rockland, . 
Scituate, 
Wareham, . 
W^est Bridgewater, 
Whitman, . 



W. L. Mayo, Jr. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Fillebrown. 

Lawrence Humphrey. 

Edward H. Williams. 

H. W. Cole. 

I. C. Hammond. 

Geo. Cobb. 

W. W. Copeland. 



Suffolk County 



W^m. J. Randall. 
Peter F. Conley. 
Miss Clementina Derocco 
Ascanio Dirago. 



District Deputies 

Horace Waite, 
Mrs. R. A. Woods. 
F. W. Dickerman. 



Advisory Committee 



John B. Drum. 
James T. O'Brien. 
Frank V. Thompson. 



George C. Greener. 
William L. Terhune. 
F. W. Dickerman. 



579 



Ashbiirnham, 

Clinton, 

Fitchburg, 

Hardwick, 

Leominster, 

Oxford, 

Southbridge, 

Spencer, 

Warren, 

Webster, 

Westborough, 

Worcester, 



Worcester County 

C. A. Hubbell. 
Edward Osgood. 
James E. Shea. 
Fred Crawford. 
J. A. Jalbert. 
Joseph L. Brown. 
Herman T. Hude. 
Geo. H. Bemis. 
P. O. Perkins. 
Harry Nado. 
Fred W. Humphrey, 
Carmine Zemarro. 



Calendar, Home Economics Committee, March, 1917, to 
November, 1918 

March, 1917. 

Women's food work started. Dean Sarah Louise Arnold appointed 
chairman of Food Conservation Committee, being a sub-com- 
mittee of President Butterfield's Committee on Food Produc- 
tion and Conservation of the Massachusetts Committee on 
Public Safety. 
June 15, 1917. 

Women's food work incorporated with Council of National Defense. 
Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer appointed director. 

Monthly coixference started. 
July, 1917. 

First Hoover pledge card drive. 
August, 1917. 

"No white bread week" in all public eating places of the State. 
September, 1917. 

\Miite breadless days campaign. 
October, 1917. 

\Mieatless and meatless days compaign. 

Aimouncement of plan of work of merchant representative. 

First meeting of Home Economics Committee, held bi-monthly. 
November, 1917. 

Plan proposed for lectures on food conservation in retail stores. 

Food movies discussed. 

Fish campaign. 

Lecture bureau started. 

Liberty Bread Shop opened (privately financed). 

Red Cross Lunch Room opened (privately financed). 

Publicity organized. 



580 



December, 1917. 

Conservation menus sent to cantonments. 
January, 1918. 

Corn meal campaign. 

Porkless days. 

209 Food Conservation Committees organized under Council of 
National Defense. 

1918 home card campaign. 

Sunday bulletin in newspapers started. 

Circular letter sent to unit chairmen containing report of food saved 
through food conservation in November, 1917. 

First weekly Food Bulletin issued. 

Retail price reporting started. 
February, 1918. 

Fats campaign. 

Appointment of men and women county food administrators. 

Questionnaire on results of distribution of 1918 home card. 
April, 1918. 

Potato campaign. 

Poster campaign — 
Food and child welfare. 

Campaign for centers: — 
Canning centers. 
Markets. 
Community markets. 

Campaign for using up corn meal. 
May, 1918. 

Five conservation cottages on Boston Common opened. 

Flour card campaign. 

Absolutely wheatless campaign. 

Beef conservation campaign. 
June, 1918. 

Milk campaign. 

Canning centers questionnaires sent out. 
July, 1918. 

Distribution of sugar cards. 

Wheatless and sugarless food demonstration electric car. 

Motor demonstration truck. 

426 moving-picture slides circulated, "Sugar Ration." 

418 moving-picture slides circulated, "Wheat Ration per Person." 
August, 1918. 

Drive for storage of vegetables. 

406 moving-picture slides circulated, "Canning and Preserving." 



581 



September, 1918. 

Questionnaires sent to canning centers regarding supply of sugar. 

Cottage cheese campaign. 

Exhibits at county fairs. 

Pit and nut campaign for gas masks. 

400 moving-picture shdes circulated, "Use Fancy Meats." 

68 moving-picture slides circulated, "Eat Cottage Cheese." 

Emergency canteens established during influenza epidemic. 
November, 1918. 

400 moving-picture slides circulated, "Save Food to Save Humanity." 



Circular issued by The New England Coal Committee 

State House, Boston, July 24, 1917. 
To New Englmid Consumers of Coal. 

The New England Coal Committee has been able during the 
last few weeks to assist in materially increasing the all-rail move- 
ment of anthracite to New England. The New England railroads, 
their officers and employees, have spared no effort to co-operate 
with the Committee in securing this result. Receivers of coal 
also have helped to increase the carrying capacity of the scanty 
supply of cars available for New England needs by making un- 
usual efforts to unload their cars between sunrise and sunset on 
the day received, though there is still need of better dispatch in 
unloading on the part of many consignees. We are writing to 
each consignee who detains cars, asking for his patriotic co-opera- 
tion in more prompt unloading, and we are glad to say that our 
letters have been received in the spirit in which they have been 
written, and we are receiving assurances in every direction of a 
willingness to make a better showing in future. 

The solid trainload movement from the hard coal fields of Penn- 
sylvania direct to the twenty-eight New England distributing 
points, arranged by this Committee, is also adding to the carrying 
capacity of the New England cciuipment. ISIuch credit is due the 
Reading Coal Company and the Philadelphia and Reading Rail- 
way for the inauguration of this solid trainload movement; with- 
out their interest and co-operation this most promising innovation 
could not have been begun. The Committee feels, however, that 
while hard coal conditions have thus been improved. New Eng- 
land is not yet by any means out of the woods as regards its supply 
of anthracite for tlie coming winter, owing to the fact that while 

582 



more coal is being carried by rail, less is being brought by water 
due to lack of sufficient water tonnage, and also to shortage of coal 
at the loading ports. 

The Committee is now addressing its efforts especially to these 
water conditions. 

Coal Reserves Too Low 

As we all know, the New England industries depend chiefly 
upon bituminous coal, and this is also true of our railroads, trolley 
lines, electric light and gas companies and many other essential 
activities. The stock of bituminous coal now on hand in New 
England is deficient, and bituminous coal is not now moving and 
has not been moving during the last few months of good weather 
into New England in sufficient quantities to accmiiulate the re- 
serves needed to carry our industries through the coming winter. 
There is a temptation during the summer months for consumers 
of coal to be lulled into a false sense of security. The use of house- 
hold coal falls off to a marked extent during the warm weather, 
and the use of commercial bituminous coal falls off sensibly also, 
because in summer the large factory burns coal only for power 
instead of for both power and heat. The consmnption by railroads 
is also less in warm weather, and due to the shorter daylight hours 
every one of the electric light and gas companies dotted over 
New England increases materially its coal consumption in winter. 

We are likely to forget under the easier railroad operating con- 
ditions of the smiimer months, that in winter the carrying capacity 
of our New England railroads, which can barely take us through 
the summer months, suffers a serious reduction in the number of 
freight cars that can be hauled into and out of New England. It 
is probably not too much to say that the average carrying capacity 
of our railroads is reduced during the three months of severest 
winter weather by 25 per cent. It is certa'nly within bounds to 
place this reduction in carrying capacity at 20 per cent. The in- 
clement winter weather, moreover, operates to reduce, probably 
to a greater extent, the carrying capacity of the vessels and barges 
bringing coal to the New England ports. 

Next Ninety Days Critical 

New England has never been able to bring in coal during the winter 
months as fast as it must be burned. Our rail and water facilities 

583 



have been pro\ided on the theory that they would be kept busy 
all the year round, and that consumers would take care of the heavy 
drain on their coal piles in winter by accumulating coal in summer. 
It is most certainly true that if New England is to pass success- 
fully through next winter, every single car of coal which can pos- 
sibly be brought into New England during the next thirty, sixty 
and ninety days should be so brought, and that every ton which 
can be moved towards New England by barge or steamer should 
be so moved. New England cannot possibly make up next winter 
any slackening in the movement of coal during the next ninety 
days of favorable weather. 

Fill the Bins now 

We are not now discussing the question of price, though we 
fully appreciate the oppressive burden which has been borne by 
New England in this respect during the last twelve months. We 
are pointing out that if New England is to get through next winter 
with the coal it must have, and thus avoid hardships much greater 
than even the exorbitant prices of last winter, our people must 
take coal and keep taking coal every day to the limit of the New 
England carrying capacity. 

This duty to keep our carrying capacity working to the full 
limit during the next ninety days falls especially upon our larger 
corporate units which have the financial resources and the storage 
capacity required to accumulate now a large proportion of their 
next winter's supply. The obligation, however, rests with equal 
force upon the individual, whether householder or manufacturer, 
who has the financial resources and storage capacity to take in his 
next winter's coal at the present time. In our judgment the house- 
holder of means should now make sure that his bins are full, so 
that his competition with the poor man during next winter's 
crisis shall be at the minimum. 

A New Cause of Shortage 

There are a number of other unfavorable factors bearing upon 
the New England fuel problem, several of which it is perhaps as 
well to mention. The Navy Department and other departments 
of the government must be kept fully supi)lied with coal, but 
several times recently different departments of the Federal gov- 

584 



ernment, without notice, have suddenly commandeered at the 
tidewater ports large quantities of our coal which had left the 
mines and were actually on the move to New England. Bottoms 
to a considerable extent during the last thirty days have arrived 
at Hampton Roads only to find that without notice their coal had 
been suddenly taken by the government. 

If the government had estimated its needs and had given ten 
days' notice, this shipping could have been diverted to other ports, 
thus being probably kept employed. Furthermore, if in future 
the government requirements could be filled by a comparatively 
steady stream of coal instead of by sudden, peremptory demands 
for large quantities, it would be of great assistance. 

Coal from the mines of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and other western 
and southern coal-producing districts is not required to any appre- 
ciable extent for governmental purposes, because these smoky coals 
are not suitable for naval use and because the coal is not accessible 
from the Atlantic seaboard. This throws practically the whole 
government demand on to the West Virginia and Maryland fields, 
which are the chief sources of supply for New England. Before 
the war South America, the Mediterranean and many other 
points were fed with coal chiefly from Belgium and England. 
These sources of supply have gone, and every ton of coal for which 
shipping can be secured is being taken from these same regions 
tributary to New England to replace Belgium and British coal. 



A Costly Competition 

These unusual demands upon the eastern coal fields and the 
shortage in water transportation have crowded an unusual amount 
on the all-rail routes, and this has thrown an abnormal New Eng- 
land demand upon the somewhat limited Clearfield coal district 
of northern Pennsylvania where this all-rail coal is secured. This 
has forced New England buyers of coal into unusual competition 
with each other and with others seeking coal in the Clearfield 
district, thereby forcing up the price of all-rail coal. It has in- 
creased New England's coal bill both directly and indirectly, the 
latter because the high price for all-rail coal has prevented this 
fuel supply from furnishing the usual competition with water- 
borne coal coming to us from Maryland and West Virginia. Coal 
cannot, under ordinary circumstances, be brought successfully 

585 



from the West Virginia and Maryland fields by rail, because of 
the excessive cost of the long railroad haul and the inadequate 
supply of cars. 

New England Purchasers should broaden their Market 

We suggest that New England purchasers of tidewater, who 
have difficulty in securing coal from the New River and Poca- 
hontas districts, should turn their attention more to the mines 
producing the higher volatile coals accessible to tidewater in West 
Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, even 
though some of these more distant fields involve from 15 to 25 
cents higher cost of transportation to seaboard. It seems partic- 
ularly worth while for New England consumers to investigate the 
possibilities of these sources of supi)ly. Coal moving from the 
Virginia fields takes the same rate as Pocahontas and New River. 

Price Very Uncertain 

We are repeatedly asked if the consumer, by waiting, will be 
able to get his coal at a lower price. We cannot answer this 
question, because while the government seems to be contemplat- 
ing the regulation of coal prices, on the other hand, the govern- 
ment itself has felt obliged to take such contrary steps as the sud- 
den seizure of New England's coal for naval purposes. More- 
over, the tremendous pressure which the government is putting 
on industrial establishments for war materials, and the conse- 
quent acute competitive labor demand created thereby, tends to 
deplete further the already insufficient supply of labor at the 
mines, and besides, conscription, if applied to miners, will also 
soon aggravate the situation still more. 

A fixed government price at which needed coal cannot be se- 
cured will not run a factory or keep a house warm next winter. 
Then, too, there is the transportation difficulty. Our railroads 
can carry much less coal in the winter months when the needs 
are much the greatest. Less can move by water, and while rail- 
road rates are stable, control of water rates so far has not been 
undertaken by the government. Last spring and winter water 
carriage on coal to Boston went as high as $5 per ton, and to this 
must be added the cost of railway transportation from the mines 
to tidewater, plus a second railroad charge if the coal was to move 

586 



from Boston or other New England port back into the interior. 
A possible saving on the price of coal at the mines may be much 
more than wiped out by the extra cost of winter transportation. 
At present, water rates to Boston are about $2.50 per ton, though 
few or no time contracts have been placed on this basis, and the 
market is highly sensitive. To-day's spot price is now much more 
favorable than last winter, although still much above the price 
before the war, which was well under $1 to Boston, with corre- 
sponding rates to ports east and west of Boston. 

We think the only safe course for New England consumers to 
pursue is to purchase coal on a considerable scale during the next 
ninety days, so that before the end of October they may be sure 
to have on hand a liberal supply. In no other way can we be sure 
to keep warm and to keep our industries going next winter. 

NEW ENGLAND COAL COMMITTEE, 

By James J. Stokrow, 

Chairvian. 



Organization of Federal Fuel Administration for New 

England 
Federal Fuel Administration for New England 

James J. Storrow, Federal Fuel Administrator for Nexo 

England. 
J. B. Pierce, Deputy and General Secretary. 

D. H. Howie, Deputy. 

E. S. Kelley, Assistant. 

A. G. Duncan, Special Assistant. 

J. F. O'Hare, Special Assistant. 

E. W. Longley, Treasurer. 

W. R. Herllhy, Jr., Assistant Treasurer. 

New Engl.\nd State Fuel Administrators 

T. W. Russell. 



' C. W. Jaynes, Deputy. 
T-r . I J. C. Hanilen. 

^ N. Chfford, Dejmty. 
J. J. Storrow. 

Massachusetts, -j J. B. Pierce, General Secretary. 

D. H. Howie, Deputy. 



^ TT , . I H. E. Slay ton. 

I H. W. Phinney, Secretary. 

I J. T. Wilson, Secretary. 

\j . f H. J. M. Jones. 

Vermont, Wr t i^r , o 

\ JVl. JL. >Vood, Secretary. 

Allocation of Administration Coal 
W. W. Willett, Chairman. 
L. F. Leighton. | B. Covel. 

United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corpaiaiion, Division of 

Operations 
Capt. A. L. Crowley. 

New England Coal Barge and Towers' Association 
Capt. A. L. Crowley, Supervisor'. 
James J. Storrow, Chairman Executive Committee. 

Long Island Sound Barge Operators' Association 
Frederick T. Kellers, Supervisor. \ J. P. Collins, Secretary. 

Payment for and Rebilling of Administration Coal 
Borden Covel, Manager. 
H. N. Mitchell, Auditor. 
W. S. Howell, All-rail Administration Coal. 
J. E. Mason, Tidewater Administration Coal. 

United States Ordnance Department 
Lieut. A. L. Moore. | S. A. Haley. 

Legal 
A. A. Schaefer. 

Publicity 
H. W. Kendall. 

Statistician 
E. F. O'Dowd. 

Oil, Gasoline and Charcoal 
F. D. Comerford. 

588 



Advisory Shippers' Covimittee 



W. W. Willeil, Chairman. 

B. Covel, Secretary. 

O. L. Alexander. 

S. P. Burton. 

H. P. Cannon. 

Capt. A. L. Crowley. 



Capt. J. G. Crowley. 

R. Grant. 

E. Hamlin. 

G. Hawley. 

Commander H. E. Stevens, U. S. N. 



Massachusetts City and Toion Organizations, Retail Prices 
Clianning E. Sweitzer. 

E. F. Jackson. 

L, F. Willard, Field Agent. 

F. M. Hildebrandt, Federal Trade Commission Representative. 

312 local committees. 



Massachusetts Conservation 

I. N. HoUis. 

A. E. Norton, Executive Secretary. 



Manufacturing Plants, Advisory Engineers 



G. P. Gilmore, Southeastern. 
T. Hawle3% Boston. 
I, N. Holiis, Central. 



C. T. Main, Boston. 

A. T. Safford, Northeastern. 

J. A. Skinner, Western, 



Factory, fuel and power committees in 2,300 factories. 
Laundries 



E. R. Marshall, Chairman. 
W. P. Creamer, 



F. H. Foster, 
H, P. Hovey. 



Factory Inspection, Field Engineers 



C. M. Allen. 
E. Q. Cole. 
A. S. Kellogg. 



J. W, Moran. 
E, Smith, 



Volunteer visiting engineers in 60 cities and towns. 
Domestic Economy 



C. F. Allen, 



N, Nightingale. 



589 



Interconnection of Public Utilities 
D. M. DeBard, Chairman. 

State Institutions 
A. E. Norton. 

Operating Engineers and Firemen 



H. H. Comerford. 
W. H. Damon. 
W. J. DuWors. 



T. Hawley. 
F. H. Kimbali. 
J. H. Mullen. 



Street Railways 
H. B. Potter, Chairman. 

Hotels 
L. C. Prior, Chairman. 

Anthracite 
A. M. Macleod. 

Massachusetts Retail Distribution 
W. H. Ballard. | F. M. Miller. 

Records 
A. H. Roby. 

Massachusetts Supply and Distribution 
W. G. Carter. | R. W. Cook. 

Emergency Supply 
T. F. Dwyer, Jr. | W. F. Harris. 

Tideirater Reports 
W. C. Carlisle. 

All-rail Diversions and Car Delays 
W. J. Vaughan. 

Diversions 
E. T. Cate. 

590 



Car Delays 
W. H. Knight. I F. H. Wheeler. 

Special Representatives, Neiv England Railroad Gatetoays 
O. R. Eytel, New York, New Haven & Hartford Raihoad, Harlem. 
G. B. Smith, New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Maybrook. 
G. G. Gilson, Boston & Maine Railroad, Mechanicsville. 
D. F. Regan, Boston & Albany Railroad, West Albany. 



Bituminous 
R. S. Coffin. 

Tidewater Reports 
W. C. Carlisle. 

All-rail Diversions and Car Delays 
W. J. Vaughan. 

Diversions 
E. T. Cate. 

Car Delays 
W. H. Knight. 1 F. H. Wheeler. 

All-rail Bituminovs Distribution 
E. G. Blaisdell. | A. E. Wood. 

Special Representatives, New England Railroad Gateways 
O. R. Eytel, New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Harlem. 
G. B. Smith, New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Maybrook. 
G. G. Gilson, Boston & Maine Railroad, Mechanicsville. 
D. F. Regan, Boston & Albany Railroad, West Albany. 

Records 
L. F. Leighton. | G. Sanford. 

591 



Industrial Priorities 
T. S. Spinney. 

Gas Coal 
J. F. Wing. 
F. W. Clemson, Supply and Distribution. 



Tidewater Bituminous Distribution 



S. W. WiUett. 
C. P. Chase. 



C. W. Parker, Jr. 
H. M. White. 



Special Representatives, Dumping Ports 



W. H. Brown, Norfolk, Va. 
J. P. Collins, New York City. 



J. J. McSweeney, Baltimore, Md. 



Wood 



J. R. George. 
W. D. Clark. 



G. D. Button. 



Local wood fuel committees. 



Chairmen of Fuel Committees in Cities and Towns in 
Massachusetts 



Abington, 

Acton, 

Acushnet, 

Adams, 

Agawam, 

Amesbury, 

Amherst, . 

Andover, . 

Arlington, 

Ashburnham, 

Ashby, 

Ashfield, 

Ashland, 

Assonet, 

Athol, 

Attleboro, 

Auburn, . 



C. L. Keen. 
Edgar H. Hall. 
William G. Taber. 
Edwin K. McPeck. 
F. A. Worthington. 
A. N. Parry. 
Dr. C. S. Walker. 
E. Barton Chapin. 
S. Frederic Hicks. 
C. A. Hubbell. 
James C. Allen. 
George W. Cook. 
Franklin Enslin. 
George W. Hathaway, 
Frank A. Ball. 
Frank M. Payson. 
Alfred Bennet. 



592 



Avon, 












John T. Dolan. 


Ayer, 










. Eugene S. Barry. 


Barnstable, 










Howard N. Parker. 


Barre, 












John S. Rice. 


Becket, . 












W. C. Ballon. 


Bedford, . 












Nathan H. Daniels. 


Belchertown, 












E. A. Randall. 


Bellingham, 












Timothy E. Foley. 


Belmont, . 












Winthrop Brown. 


Berkley, . 












T. F. Paull. 


Berlin, . 












Ira G. Dudley. 


Bernardston, 












H. M. Moat. 


Beverly, . 












Charles W. Trask. 


Billerica, .' 












Edgar P. Sellew. 


Blackstone, 












George W. Maxon. 


Blandford, 












W. V. Bodurtha. 


Bolton, . 












Frank S. Hamblin. 


Boston, 












David A. Ellis. 


Bourne, . 












Frederic Tudor. 


Boxborongh, 












Stephen D. Salmon. 


Boxford, . 












Chester Killiam. 


Boylston, 












Eugene C. Potter. 


Braintree, 












Charles C. Mellen. 


Brewster, 












Francis H. Perry. 


Bridgewater, 












Frank E. Sweet. 


Brimfield, 












Charles W. Waldron. 


Brockton, 












David Perkins. 


Brookfield, 












W. McLaurin. 


Brookline, 












Frederic Cunningham 


Cambridge, 












Elmer H. Bright. 


Canton, . 












James P. Lynch. 


Carver, 












Philip S. Cole. 


Charlemont, 












Rev. E. G. Hooper. 


Charlton, 












Thomas Longbottom. 


Chatham, 












Augustus M. Bearse. 


Chelmsford, 












Paul Dutton. 


Chelsea, . 












William J. Murdock. 


Cheshire, . 












Thomas J. Curtin. 


Chester, . 












R. H. Cook. 


Chieopee, 












John E. Granfield. 


Chilmark, 












Daniel Vincent. 


Clinton, , 












Judge Charles Mayberry 



593 



Cohasset, 


Arthur W. Hatch. 


Concord, . 


Edward L. Parker. 


Conway, . 


Edward AfFhauser. 


Cummington, 


Leslie L. Porter. 


Dalton, 


L. A. Haworth. 


Dana, 


Otis E. Hager. 


Danvers, . 


Thomas E. Tinsley 


Dartmouth, 


Henry L. Tiffany. 


Dedham, . 


F. P. Royce. 


Deerfield, 


. . . . John J. Greenough. 


Dennis, 


Zebina H. Small. 


Dighton, . 


George M. Chase. 


Douglas, . 


F. J. Libby. 


Dover, 


Harold Walker. 


Dracut, . 


Fred A. Bassett. 


Dunstable, 


James E. Kendall. 


Duxbury, 


Ralph K. Bearce. 


East Bridgewat 


er, Henry L. Moorehouse. 


East Brookfield 


, George A. Putney. 


East Longmeac 




Eastham, 


Arthur W. Parnell. 


Easthampton, 


Albert D. Sanders. 


Easton, . 


Frederick Hanlon. 


Edgartown, 


Dr. Edward P. Worth 


Egremont, 


John C. O'Neil. 


Enfield, . 


Dr. ^N. B. Segur. 


Erving, 


Lewis L. Claflin. 


Essex, 




Everett, . 


J. Arthur Benner. 


Fairhaven, 


Thomas W. Wliitfield. 


Falmouth, 


Dr. Lewis C. Weeks. 


Fall River, 


Charles L. Holmes. 


Fitehburg, 


Charles B. Smith. 


Florida, . 


Joseph Newman. 


Foxborough, 


W'. S. Cruickshank. 


Framingham, 


N. I. Bowditch 


Franklin, . 


Alfred W. Dana. 


Freetown, 


John Thwaites. 


Gardner, . 


Alvin W. Bancroft. 


Gay Head, 


E. D. Vanderhoop. 



594 



Georgetown, H. Howard Noyes. 

Gill, William J. Anderson. 

Gloucester, Frederic A. Shackelford. 

Gosnold, Charles B. Church. 

Grafton, Frank Kilmer, 

Granby, C. W. Perry. 

Great Barrington, Noble B. Turner. 

Greenfield, Harry E. Hamilton. 

Greenwich, Louis A. Faverio. 

Groton, C. Z. Southard. 

Groveland John F. Dearborn. 

Hadley, Elam S. Allen. 

Halifax, Jared Baker. 

Hamilton and Wenham, . . . Lester E. Libby. 

Hancock, Rev. John D. Graham. 

Hanover, Edward A. Bowker. 

Hanson, Andrew P. Sturtevant. 

Hardwick, Joseph Knight. 

Harvard, F. W. Bateman. 

Harwich, Charles E. Hamer. 

Hatfield, Harry L. Howard. 

Haverhill, Fred D. McGregor. 

Hingham, Charles B. Barnes. 

Hinsda'.e, L. Harry Brague. 

Holbrook, . . . . . . Dennis E. McCarthy. 

Holden, Loring W. Hubbard. 

Holliston, Arthur A. Williams. 

Holyoke, Edward J. Meacham. 

Hopedale, William W. Knights. 

Hopkinton, George V. Brown. 

Hubbardston, William H. Wlieeler. 

Hudson, E. W. Dunbar. 

Hull, Charles S. McDowell. 

Huntington, Don V. Messer. 

Hyannis, Edward F. Maher. 

Ipswich, Walter E. Hayward. 

Kingston, Frank C. Woodward. 

Lancaster, Dudley H. Dorr. 

Lanesborough, Zadoc Williams. 

Lawrence, Richard Ward. 

595 



Lee, . 

Lenox, 

Leominster, 

Leverett, . 

Lexington, 

Lincoln, . 

Littleton , 

Longmeadow, 

Lowell, 

Ludlow, . 

Lunenburg, 

Lynn, 

Lynnfield, 



Walter J. Ingram. 
Dr. H. P. Jaques. 
E. B. Richardson. 
Charles L. Putney. 
Frank W. Herrick. 
C. Lee Todd. 
Hon. Frank A. Patch. 
Dr. E. S. Temple. 
Albert D. Milliken. 
A. H. Bartlett. 
Emerson W. Baker. 
C. Fred Smith. 
Dr. E. W. Freeman. 



Maiden, . 

Manchester, 

Mansfield, 

Marblehead, 

Marion, . 

Marlborough, 

Marshfield, 

Mattapoisett, 

Maynard, 

Medfield, 

Medford, . 

Medway, . 

Melrose, . 

Merrimac, 

Methuen, 

Middleborough 

Middleton, 

Milford, . 

Millbury, 

MiUis, 

MUlviUe, 

Milton, 

Monroe, 

Monson, 

Montague 



Henry P. Porter. 
Everett L. Edmands. 
W. C. Fuller. 
Henry F. P. Wilkins. 
Reid D. Macafee. 
Dr. Edward H. Ellis. 
Fred M. Lamson. 
Everett C. Stetson. 
Joshua Naylor. 
George L. L. Allen. 
J. W. Rockwell. 
Charles W. Auel. 
Edward E. Babb. 
Thomas H. Hoyt. 
James C. Forbes. 
William B. Crossley. 
Galen B. Howe. 
Patrick E. Sweeney. 
John R. Greenwood. 
Horace M. Cushman. 
C. R. Day. 
Philip M. Reynolds. 
Carl W. Kingsley. ' 
Charles L. Ricketts. 
E. L. Bartlett. 



Nahant, Dana A. Sanborn. 

Nantucket, Walter H. Burgess. 

Natick, Judge M. F. Kennedy 

596 



Needham, Howard A. Grossman. 

New Bedford, Henry H. Crapo. 

New Braintree, Harry D. Pollard. 

New Salem, E. F. Stowell. 

Newbury, Richard T. Noyes. 

Newburyport, Hon. Moody Kimball. 

Newton, Oliver M. Fisher. 

Norfolk, Arthur M. Sumner. 

North Adams, Hon. Carlton T. Phelps. 

North Andover, Isaac Osgood. 

North Attleborough, .... Andrew Morris. 

North Brookfield, Thomas G. Richards. 

North Reading, Leslie A. Nichols. 

Northampton, William D. Mandell. 

Northborough, Alfred Thomas. 

Northbridge, . . . . . Henry A. Owen. 

Northfield, Charles S. Warner. 

Norton, Vinton I. Reynolds. 

Norwood, Albin K. Parker. 



OakBlufPs, . 


. Ezekiel H. Matthews 


Oakham, . . . 


. Harry B. Parker. 


Orange, 


. Hervey S. Dawley. 


Orleans, .... 


George S. Hall. 


Otis, 


. Robert M. Clark. 


Oxford, .... 


Charles N. Turner. 



Palmer, Charles Le Gro. 

Paxton, Henry H. Pike. 

Peabody, George E. Hayes. 

Pelham, E. P. Bartlett. 

Pembroke, William A. Howard. 

Pepperell, Joseph A. Saunders. 

Petersham, Daniel Broderick. 

Phillipston, John Cotton. 

Pittsfield, Daniel England. 

Plainville, Millard S. Rines. 

Plymouth, George W. Bradford. 

Plympton, Lloyd D. Wright. 

Princeton, Raymond J. Gregory. 

Provincetown, Edwin N. Paine. 

Quincy, Perley E. Barbour. 

597 



Randolph, 

Reading, . 

Revere, 

Richmond, 

Rochester, 

Rockland, 

Rockport, 

Rowe, 

Rowley, . 

Royalston, 

Russell, 

Rutland, . 

Salem, 

Salisbury, 

Sandwich, 

Saugus, 

Savoy, 

Scituate, . 

Sharon, 

Sheffield, . 

Shelburne, 

Sherborn, 

Shirley, . 

Shrewsbury, 

Somerset, 

Somerville. 

South Deerfield, 

South Hadley, 

Southampton, 

Southborough, 

Southbridge, 

South wick, 

Spencer, . 

Springfield, 

Sterling, . 

Stockbridge. 

Stoneham, 

Stoughton, 

Sturbridge, 

Sudbury, . 

Sunderland, 

Sutton, 

Swansea, . 



Mark B. Claff. 
A. Newell Howes. 
Robert Pirie. 
Charles D. Benton. 
Charles R. Dexter. 
A. I. Randall. 
Edgar Knowlton. 
Thatcher R. Raymond. 
J. W. Dummer. 
Loren V. Sampson. 
W. O. Johnson. 
Louis M. Hanff. 

Alvah P. Thompson. 
George W. Buswell. 
George B. Lapham. 
Frederick L. Sawyer. 
H. H. Fitzroy. 
William E. Supple. 
Ernest C. Church. 
Alfred O. Tower. 
Leander Bird. 
Arthur R. Wright. 
Edward S. Pratt. 
H. A. Maynard. 
Fernald L. Hanson. 
Fred M. Carr. 
James Campbell. 
Harry E. Hanks. 
Charles Graves. 
James E. O'Leary. 
John G. Clarke. 
A. R. Webb. 
Charles M. Durell. 
Edwin A. Carter. 
Harrison W. Rugg. 
James H. Punderson. 
Ralph R. Patch. 
James Lehan. 
Joseph La Flame. 
Charles H. Way. 
C. F. Clark. 
Charles N. Woodbury. 
F. L. Gardner. 



598 



Taunton, . 








. William J. Davison. 


Templeton, 








Robert T. Bourn. 


Tewksbury, 








. Wilbur A. Patten. 


Tisbury, . 








Edward C. Lord. 


Topsfield, 








. Leroy Gleason. 


Townsend, 








A. Dudley Bagley. 


Truro, 








. I. M. Small. 


Ty ngsborough , 








Chester H. Queen. 


Tyringham, 








George R. Warren. 


Upton, 








. William H. Miskell. 


Uxbridge, 








James Fisher. 


Wakefield, 








. Dr. Curtis L. Sopher. 


Walpole, . 








. Henry M. Stowell. 


Waltham, 








. Joseph P. Morrisey. 


Ware, 








. Charles C. Hitchcock 


Wareham, 








Frank A. Besse. 


Warren, . 








. Frank E. Gleason. 


Watertown, 








. Frederick H. Robie. 


Wayland, 








. William S. Lovell. 


Webster, . 








. Edgar S. Hill. 


Wellesley, 








. F. C. Leslie. 


Wellfleet, 








. S. F. Porch. 


Wendell, . 








. E. S. Putnam. 


West Boylston, 








. Walter E. Clark. 


West Bridgewater, 








. C. P. Kendall. 


West Brookfield, . 








George A. Johnson. 


W^est Newbury, 








Daniel Cooney. 


West Springfield, 








. A. H. Remington. 


West Stoekbridge, 








. James S. Moore. 


Westborough, . 








George H. Woodman. 


Westfield, 








Frank Grant. 


Westford, 








. Julian A. Cameron. 


Westminster, . 








. Frank A. Miller. 


Weston, . 








. Arthur T. Johnson. 


Westport, 








. Charles R. Tallman. 


Weymouth, 








. Henry Tilden. 


Wliately, . 








Montville L. Crofts. 


Whitman, 








. Benjamin S. Atwood. 


Wilbraham, 








. Fred W. Green. 


Williamsburg, 








. Albert S. Hills. 


Williamstown, 








. F. E. Moore. 


Wilmington, . 








. Charles C. Alden. 



599 



Winchendon, 

Winchester, 

Windsor, . 

Winthrop, 

Woburn, . 

Worcester, 

Wrentham, 

Yarmouth, 



Dr. J. G. Henry. 
Jere A. Downs. 
W. C. Estes. 
Hugh W. Rr.berts, Jr. 
Elmer E. Silver. 
Thomas H. Gage. 
George L. Dodd. 

Charles R. Howes. 



H kb- 79 



600 






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